A Tale of Two Cities | WHITE PLAINS CITIZENETREPORTER SETS RECORD VISITS FOR YEAR 7,017,658 VISITS! 2,098,003 VISITORS MADE 6 VISITS A DAY EVERY DAY. 63,330 UNIQUE VISITORS MADE 133,730 VISITS IN DECEMBER. WPCNR AVERAGED 17,284 VISITORS A WEEK, VISITING 31,270 TIMES.

WPCNR. THE LETTER TICKER JUNE 18,2025

The new Traffic “Vision Zero Action Plan” is another example of WP’s own “Tale of Two Cities”

Dear WP Common Council Members:

The new “Vision Zero Action Plan” on Traffic has been used in other cities to promote roadway safety and is well-needed in WP to deal with our distracted and safety-deficient drivers.

Unfortunately, at first glance most of the traffic projects listed appear to be for the Downtown. . .and not for the residential neighborhoods. We point this out because 18 months ago one of our daughters while walking was hit by an aggressive driver by the firehouse on Old Mamaroneck Road. Thanks to the rapid response of WP fire and police she is back to good health now. However, since her accident the only thing the City Staff did to make that intersection safer was to put a Stop Sign a block away which is good however would not have prevented or minimized our daughter’s injuries 18 months ago. Our question is. . .what about having the same Traffic Technology equipment at the intersection of Old Mamaroneck and Gedney Way that is used Downtown so it is safer for nearby residents going forward?

And why doesn’t the intersection of Heatherbloom and Mamaroneck Avenue also have the same updated Traffic Technology as the Downtown intersections. There have been more accidents by this entrance to Burke than we can remember over 46 years of living in Gedney Farms, including our own decades ago after getting rear-ended by another car. Nothing has changed at this intersection over our 46 years in WP. The City Staff was rumored to be studying improvements at this intersection however it still hasn’t surfaced yet as a real safety solution. And the excuse that these intersections are County roads. . .in our opinion is really an excuse to do nothing.

While we are on the discussion of Traffic. . .are you aware that the on new development plan for Farrell Estates that the Planning Board asked zero questions of the Farrell consultants at the public meetings while also never answering any resident questions going all the way back to our questions on the Scoping Document? So, as the Planning Board is in the process of passing the Farrell Project over to the Common Council for review will our elected leaders be conducting any “real due diligence”?

There are a lot of unanswered questions particularly on Water and Traffic. So, we’ll give you a heads up on Traffic. . .your own City Staff is forcing the Farrell Developer to have more wider cut-thru streets than is currently the case in the rest of Gedney Farms today. And the use of cul-de-sacs which Farrell likely prefers would cut down on the need for the City Staff’s new cut-thru streets while being a safer solution for current residents as well as the future new Farrell home owners.

We all know election season is about to start. And with the way WP appears to work today with the current administration’s exclusive focus on the Downtown area along with few of the City Staff Commissioners even living in WP we feel that residential neighborhoods are being ignored. WP truly has its own “Tale of Two Cities” so maybe we really need 2 Mayors.

One Mayor for the Downtown area to focus on changing from high-priced rental apartments to affordable housing for current residents and City employees. And a Second Mayor for the residential areas who knows and understands our neighborhoods and homeowner concerns, can get the City Staff to be more resident-focused and who will implement Traffic safety solutions in the residential neighborhoods.

Thanks for your consideration,

Marie and Ron Rhodes