John Nugent wants half of all local trips in Rye made on foot or by bike within a decade, and he has published a website to show how.
Nugent, a member of the city's Traffic and Pedestrian Safety Committee who moved to Rye about two and a half years ago, launched RyeForward.org as a citizen-developed strategy to remake downtown streets around pedestrians and cyclists. He has already shared the proposal with Mayor Josh Nathan, according to an op-ed in the Rye Record.
The plan centers on four infrastructure projects: a pedestrian plaza on Purchase Street, a roundabout at Boston Post Road and Purchase Street, dedicated sidewalks near the Metro-North train station and safe routes to all five Rye schools. The target: 50 percent of local trips happen without a car by 2036.
"To walk or bike anywhere in Rye is to exist in a state of low-grade anxiety, a constant negotiation with a two-ton machine," Nugent wrote. "The right-of-way, in theory, belongs to pedestrians. In practice, it belongs to whoever has the most momentum."
Nugent argues Rye's 5.85 square miles, 454 acres of parks and a Metro-North station give it structural advantages most communities lack. He points to Hoboken, N.J., which has gone seven consecutive years without a traffic death after implementing 20 mph speed limits, protected bike lanes and raised intersections, with injuries down 41 percent. He also cites Carmel, Ind., where 152 roundabouts cut injury crashes 47 percent even as the population tripled.
The proposal does not call for banning cars. Instead, it frames the shift as preserving the walkable character that drew residents to Rye in the first place, noting that historic buildings have been demolished for surface parking lots.
The comprehensive plan connection
RyeForward.org arrives as the city works through its first comprehensive plan update since 1985. A 15-member steering committee, six technical advisory groups and White Plains-based consulting firm AKRF Planning are leading an 18-month process that includes a transportation focus area. As we reported Aug. 3, every neighborhood will have a chance to shape the plan.
When the comprehensive plan launched in late July, Mayor Nathan described it as an open, collaborative process aimed at developing a roadmap reflecting the city's shared values. No official city response to RyeForward.org specifically has been published.
Nugent's term on the Traffic and Pedestrian Safety Committee runs through Dec. 31, 2029.
Upcoming
Residents can view the full proposal at RyeForward.org. The comprehensive plan steering committee meets approximately monthly; its next meeting date has not been announced. The city's comprehensive planning website accepts resident feedback through surveys and neighborhood committees.
