Foliage Obscures Road Signs Along Highways In Westchester County
MILLWOOD, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- Westchester County is known for its foliage, and many enjoy it in residential areas – but not necessarily along highways.
As CBS2's Elise Finch reported, the greenery along Route 9A in Westchester County can make for a scenic drive. It can also make for a dangerous one, according to Ossining resident Ernst Seelig.
"A lot of road signs you can't see anymore, because of vines and trees and saplings and stuff like that," Seelig said.
CBS2 followed Seelig as he pointed out how overgrown weeds and bushes are hiding important signs – such as one underneath a Taconic State Parkway exit sign that reads, "passenger cars only."
In the same area, tree limbs are covering a hospital sign until drivers have missed it.
"So if you're in distress and looking for a hospital, you don't see it," Seelig said. "This is a danger to everybody who drives along 9A that this highway is not taken care of."
And it is a problem in more than one area. Farther south, tree branches cover part of an exit sign in Yonkers.
Some residents said they do not pay attention to road signs because they are close to home and do not need to follow them. But they admitted that it could be a huge problem for drivers who are not familiar with the area.
"That would be bad if you were driving and you couldn't see that, for sure," said Randi Childs of Chappaqua.
People who spoke to CBS2 said they are curious as to why the grass and trees along certain portions of a roadway seem perfectly manicured, yet on other sections of that same roadway, things seem untouched.
"It's kind of a curiosity why some parts are so well, you said, manicured, and some parts are kind of, 'Good luck drivers see what you're going to do,'" said Ryan Santone of Millwood.
New York State Department of Transportation spokeswoman Gina M. DiSarro issued a statement about the department mowing policy, saying it is based on "safety and functionality, driven by the necessity to reduce fuel consumption, to extend the service life of our mowing fleet, and to reduce carbon emissions."
The statement went on to say that all state roads are mowed at least two to three times during the mowing season.
But if drivers see places where that has not happened, they are advised to call and complain. Seelig said he has already done so, and will continue until the situation is resolved.