The Woodstock Town Board has requested a 35 mph speed limit along Glasco Turnpike within town boundaries after residents raised concerns about speeding, pedestrian safety, and difficulty pulling out of their driveways.
The board passed a resolution Sept. 8 requesting the limit, or a lower speed if evaluating agencies recommend it, from Route 212 in Shady to the Saugerties town line, just east of West Saugerties Road. It asked the Ulster County Department of Public Works and New York State Department of Transportation to conduct an advisability study.
The request would extend a reduction approved for part of the road following a 2020 town resolution. That change lowered the limit to 35 mph from 40 mph between Rock City Road and Upper Byrdcliffe Road.
Members of the Woodstock Complete Streets Committee and residents of Glasco Turnpike attended the September board meeting to advocate for a lower limit, better signage, infrastructure improvements, and stronger enforcement.
Laurie Felber, who lives near Boggs Hill Road, said she has had close encounters with vehicles while walking her dog along the road, which has no shoulder. She said speeding traffic also makes her and her neighbors afraid to pull out of their driveways.
“It’s really scary,” Felber said. “They go fast, and we can be decimated in two seconds.”
Felber said deer and bears frequently cross the road to reach Overlook Mountain. She called for a lower speed limit to protect pedestrians and wildlife, as well as replacement guardrails to protect motorists.
“You look at the guardrails that we have and you’re like, that’s a death trap,” she said.
Lallu Dammond, who also lives near Boggs Hill Road, said speed enforcement has “fallen off” in recent years.
“It’s just outrageous,” Dammond said.
The planned multiyear Tinker Street reconstruction project could send more drivers onto Glasco Turnpike, according to the Complete Streets Committee.
“Many vehicles are just bypassing town and using it to get around the Town of Woodstock,” committee member Howard Cohen said at an Aug. 25 committee meeting. “That’s only going to be accentuated with the roadwork on Tinker Street.”
Cohen said the previous speed limit reduction has had little apparent effect.
“That section is only a short section, and vehicles continue to speed through Glasco Turnpike,” he said.
State transportation department spokesperson Heather Pillsworth said safety is a top priority and the department would review the town’s request and discuss potential improvements to the road.
According to state traffic data, average daily traffic on Glasco Turnpike between Meads Mountain Road and Boggs Hill Road was about 1,300 vehicles in 2024 and 2025, up from about 800 in 2023.
Residents have also sought a lower speed limit on adjoining Rock City Road. At the committee’s August meeting, Rock City Road resident Christian Hietanen requested a 25 mph limit.
“I’m a runner, I’m a cyclist, I’m on the road quite a bit. I talked to a lot of people and the same thing kept coming up about safety,” Hietanen said.
He described a road with heavy pedestrian use and little or no shoulder, leading to frequent close encounters with vehicles. He suggested installing permanent electronic speed displays to encourage drivers to slow down and collect traffic data.
Cohen said the town has three temporary signs that display drivers’ speeds, but their data collection components are broken.
He supported formally lowering the limits on Rock City Road and Glasco Turnpike and said the committee would advocate for the lowest speeds the state transportation department determines advisable.
Isabella Schoonover is a staff reporter for The Overlook covering Woodstock, Saugerties, Hurley, and surrounding Ulster County communities. Send correspondence to isabella@theoverlooknews.com.
