Town clerk, highway superintendent terms could go from 2 years to 4 years

By Ashley M. Casey

Staff Writer

Voters in the town of Cicero will decide in November whether the town should increase the term length of two public offices. Currently, the town clerk and highway superintendent serve two-year terms. The town has proposed doubling those terms to four years.

Supervisor Mark Venesky said those offices are “not really political positions,” so the office-holders should have more time to focus on doing their jobs rather than worrying about running for reelection every two years.

The town supervisor’s term is also two years. Venesky said the town board considered adding that position to the referendum as well, but decided against doing so.

“I think this town has a history of having some really good supervisors and it’s had some really bad supervisors,” he said, adding that a two-year term makes it easier to move poorly performing supervisors out of office before problems start to accumulate.

Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 6.

If voters approve the measure, the new term lengths would go into effect for those taking office Jan. 1, 2019.

Construction begins on roundabout in Bridgeport

In other Cicero news, the hamlet of Bridgeport will soon be home to Onondaga County’s first mini roundabout, located at the intersection of routes 31 and 298.

Construction began Aug. 20, and Venesky said the modern roundabout should be complete by the end of the New York State Fair.

Venesky said the opening of Point Place Casino has added to the traffic volume in the area, spurring safety concerns. Local officials asked the New York State Department of Transportation to look into a solution.

“I wanted stoplights, but their engineers made the case that this is safer,” Venesky said.

According to NYSDOT, a roundabout is a circular intersection in which traffic travels clockwise. A roundabout has ramps for incoming traffic to yield, but there are no traffic signals.

“Roundabouts see a decrease in the severity of crashes, which typically occur at a slow speed and include side swipes and fender-benders, greatly reducing the chance of injuries or fatalities in deadly head-on or T-bone crashes,” NYSDOT said in a release.

Other advantages of roundabouts include:

• Improved traffic flow
• Reduced congestion
• Less idling, which leads to fewer fuel emissions and improved air quality
• No need for electric traffic signals
• Improved walkability and pedestrian safety.

While this is the county’s first modern roundabout, Route 298 has two traffic circles, Military Circle at Townline Road and Carrier Circle, which connects the Thruway and Thompson Road. Traffic circles are larger, give priority to merging vehicles rather than thru traffic and are more prone to congestion.

Navigating a roundabout

The New York State Department of Transportation has issued guidelines for drivers to follow when entering a roundabout:

• Watch traffic signs and pavement markings to determine the correct lane to be in before entering the roundabout. Once inside the roundabout do not change lanes.
• Use the left lane to make left turns and use the right lane to make right turns. Follow signs and markings to determine which lane(s) go straight.
• Traffic in the roundabout has the right-of-way.
• Vehicles wishing to enter should yield at the yield line and look for oncoming traffic on their left.
• Enter the roundabout when there is an adequate gap in the circulating traffic flow.
• Always yield to pedestrians and keep crosswalks clear.
• Cars and trucks should yield to bicycle traffic and not pass them.
• As you approach your exit, turn on your right turn signal.

To learn more about roundabouts and to see animations about how motorists, bicyclists and pedestrians move through them, visit dot.ny.gov/main/roundabouts.