Ban Tour Buses, ‘Heavy Vehicles’

From Village, Village Board Asked

COOPERSTOWN – Neighbors on River and Lake streets plan to present a 57-signature petition to the Village Board, which meets at 6:30 p.m. today, urging trustees to ban tour buses – and heavy vehicle in general – from “the village core.”

“The present route puts highway buses on the narrowest residential block in the village – River between Main and Lake,” wrote neighbor Chip Northrup, River Street, in an e-mail transmitting the petition to the board.  “It is axiomatic that no one on River wants these buses. That they are hazardous, block traffic and ruin the street.  Likewise it is a given that no one on Fair, Main, Lake or Chestnut wants them.

“Meaning,” he concluded, “the preferred solution is not to rearrange the location of the bus stop or route, but to remove highway buses from the village core. “

Northrup suggests a “systematic look” at the problem, using shuttle buses from remote lots to bring tourists into the village.  “Moreover, by coordinating with the tour bus operators, the Village can not only improve the quality of life (and the condition of the streets) but it can introduce efficiencies that will benefit all visitors and enhance their visit to the village,” he writes.

Regarding “heavy vehicles,” those delivering goods, school buses, ambulances and trolleys would be exempt from the ban, Northrup said.