Meetings begin tonight for community input on the design of the new Tappan Zee Bridge. Bike and walking access are still options in the final design. Please get out and voice your support for non-motorized access to the new bridge.

Journal News writer, Khurram Saeed, wrote this report last week.

Rockland and Westchester county residents living along the Interstate 287 corridor will get a chance at upcoming workshops to see how a new Tappan Zee Bridge and mass transit additions on I-287 will fit into their communities. The Tappan Zee Bridge/I-287 Corridor Project – led by the state Department of Transportationwith support from the state Thruway Authority and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s Metro-North Railroad – is planning to hold five community working meetings along the 30-mile corridor, from Hillburn to Port Chester. The first will take place Nov. 10 in Ramapo, followed by Nov. 12 in West Nyack and Nov. 18 in Upper Nyack. The Westchester meetings are planned for Dec. 1 in Elmsford and Dec. 9 in Port Chester. Each workshop runs from 6 to 8:30 p.m. and focuses on that specific geographic region of the corridor where it is taking place – Ramapo, Clarkstown, Orangetown, Greenburgh, White Plains, Harrison and Rye.

Plans call for replacing the 53-year-old, three-mile Tappan Zee Bridge with a larger, transit-friendly version, adding bus rapid transit along the 30-mile I-287 corridor between Suffern and Port Chester and commuter rail between Suffern and Tarrytown. With its $16 billion price tag (in 2012 dollars), the mega-project is one of the largest of its kind being developed in the United States. More than 120,000 motorists use the bridge daily. The project team said it is evaluating various transit and bridge options that will be narrowed and analyzed in an environmental impact report. For example, a person who shows up at one of the workshops will see the designs for both a single-level and dual level bridge. And they’ll get a look at the designs of I-287, and other roads, featuring lanes dedicated to buses and buses running in high-occupancyvehicle lanes. In Rockland, there is ongoing discussion over whether to build new railroad tracks in the center of the Thruway, or just south of it.

“I think it’s going to be an eye-opening experience in the communities to see what’s being discussed,” Rockland County Legislature chairwoman Harriet Cornell said. Cornell has been an active voice in the project, most recently hosting a half-day conference in September to discuss funding options for the project. Financing won’t be on the agenda of these workshops. The project team has been meeting with leaders in more than two dozen towns and villages in Rockland and Westchester to discuss changes in store for their communities. “Through a series of meetings since last spring, we have heard from local elected officials,” state DOT Acting Commissioner Stanley Gee said in a statement. “The upcoming public meetings will help us inform local residents about project developments and get their comments, which are critical to ensuring that this project meets local and regional needs.”

Cornell agreed the community workshops were a prime opportunity for people to offer their input. “It’s certainly important for the public to attend these meetings,” she said. “There are a lot of choices that still have to be made.” Public open houses to review the project team’s findings are expected to occur early next year. After federal approvals are secured, construction on a new bridge could begin in 2013, and take about five years to complete.

The family is inviting cyclists who want to pay tribute to Cassell to join them at the church at 11:30 a.m. Thursday for a mass ride to the cemetery. The funeral mass will be held at 10:30am at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church, 59 E. Main street in Elmsford. Cassell will be buried at Ferncliff Cemetery on Secor Road in Hartsdale.

Please join this tribute to Cassell and show your support for safe cycling.

Journal News reporter Rebecca Baker report the fFuneral services have been set for a 66-year-old bicycling advocate who was struck and killed last week by a Westchester Bee-Line bus.

A  wake for Merrill Cassell will be held from 4 to 9 p.m. tomorrow (Wednesday) at Edwin Bennett Funeral Homes, 824 Scarsdale Ave., in Scarsdale.

A funeral Mass will be held Thursday at 10:30 a.m. at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church, 59 E. Main St. in Elmsford. Burial will be at Ferncliff Cemetery on Secor Road in Hartsdale.

Cassell, a retired budget director for UNICEF, was believed to be crossing Route 119 on his bicycle Friday afternoon when he was fatally struck by a county bus traveling east toward White Plains near Aqueduct Road.

Greenburgh police Capt, Joseph DeCarlo said Cassell was riding alongside the bus, heading east, when he collided with the side of the bus and fell under it. Police are still investigating what made him fall.

“He could have hit the curb. He could have lost his balance. We don’t know,” DeCarlo said.

The bus driver has not been charged and has been cleared to return to work. DeCarlo said the bus driver was not speeding or talking on a phone before the accident.

Cassell leaves his wife, Maximilla, a daughter, Tania, and two grandchildren.

Westchester Cycle Club president Dave Wilson just sent this alert for action to the club.

Folks,
As our court case against the state on the Route 100 rumble-strips wends its way through state Supreme Court, the state DOT has now proposed making rumble strips the preferred design on all two-lane roads in New York. This is terribly flawed state policy, and we need to tell the DOT to shelve this ill-conceived plan that would turn New York into one of the most unfriendly places to ride bicycles in the US.

Below is the letter I sent today to state DOT Commissioner Stanley Gee. Please consider sending your own. You can also email your remarks at https://www.nysdot.gov/about-nysdot/contact

You should also contact your state legislator to urge their support for our position. You can find out who represents you in the Assembly at http://assembly.state.ny.us/ and in the Senate at http://senate.state.ny.us

Yours fighting back,
WCC President Dave Wilson

Commissioner Stanley Gee
NYS Department of Transportation
50 Wolf Rd. Albany, NY 12232
Dear Commissioner Gee,
As president of the 1,400-member Westchester Cycle Club, and co-founder of the Westchester Putnam Bike Walk Alliance, I write to oppose the proposed changes in NY State transportation policy to make rumble strips the preferred practice in the design of all secondary roads, with a few exceptions.
We believe that such a policy will make our roads less safe for cyclists who use the roads for transportation and recreation. The state’s installation of rumble strips on Route 100 in Yorktown and Somers have already caused several injuries by riders who crashed to the pavement when they had to negotiate the rumble strips and lost control of their bikes. The rumble strips have also caused severe deterioration to the shoulder surface, and will require remediation far quicker than it would have without installation of the strips.
Your proposed policy is at variance with the practices recommended by the Federal Highway Administration, the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, and many other standard-setting agencies. They all recommend installing them on two-lane roads only when there is a documented history of drift-off road accidents.
This policy is unnecessary, and will prove costly to the state.- both in maintenance and in the costs to cyclists, who are certain to be injured by this wrong-headed highway safety initiative.
We urge you to reject the proposal, a highway safety initiative that will make our roads less safe for thousands who use the roads on bicycles.

Here is Rebecca Baker’s most recent report on Merrill Cassell.

GREENBURGH — A “ghost bike” will be placed at the spot where a 66-year-old cycling advocate from Greenburgh was struck and killed last week by a Westchester Bee-Line bus.

Merrill Cassell, known for his efforts to integrate bicycle transport into Westchester County’s transportation plan, was believed to be crossing Route 119 on Friday afternoon when he was fatally struck by a county bus traveling east toward White Plains near Aqueduct Road.

The Westchester-Putnam Biking & Walking Alliance today announced that plans are under way to install a ghost bike memorial near that intersection. The memorial, for bicyclists killed on the street, consists of a white bicycle locked to a street sign near the crash site with a small plaque describing the victim.

More than 100 ghost bikes have been installed worldwide since 2003, according to the Web site ghostbikes.org. In New York City, 59 ghost bikes have been installed since 2005.

Mike Oliva, co-founder of the biking alliance, called Cassell’s death a terrible irony” and said it highlights the need for bike lanes and other amenities for cyclists in Westchester.

“Route 119 was identified by the county in 2001 as needing bike improvements,” he said. “And not a thing has been done. It’s frustrating.”

The bus driver, Everton Coleman of Yonkers, tested negative for drugs and alcohol and has been cleared to return to work, said Neil Erickson, spokesman for Liberty Lines, the company that operates the county bus system.

Police questioned Coleman on Friday and said he was cooperative. No charges have been filed against him. Liberty Lines is conducting its own investigation.

Oliva met Cassell, who lived in Greenburgh’s Poet’s Corner neighborhood, at the first Westchester “Bike Summit” in April. He said Cassell had just returned from seeing relatives in Florida and was planning another trip back there late this year.

Cassell, a retired budget director for UNICEF, wrote frequently on his personal blog, “The Merill Pages” (http://merrillc.typepad.com), where he discussed diverse issues such as bicycling, the United Nations, finance, sports and the environment. Last year, he was honored by the Sri Lanka government for organizing programs to teach more than 10,000 Sri Lankan children how to swim.

His blog lists this quote by Joan Baez: “You don’t get to choose how you’re going to die. Or when. You can only decide how you’re going to live.”

Police are still investigating the accident and ask that anyone who witnessed it call 914-682-5325.

Friends of Merriell Cassell are preparing a “ghost bike” to place at the scene of his death on Route 119 in Greenburgh.

More details to follow.

Below is a comment from Stefanie, a friend of Merrill’s.

I am totally shocked. I saw this story break on NEWS12 Friday evening and thought ‘I wonder if I know the person who was killed’. No name was mentioned. I figured it was probably some terribly unlucky soul I didn’t know anyway never giving it another thought over the busy weekend. Today at work I was told that a long time retired colleague died over the weekend in an accident. I said Oh no that’s terrible, what happened? Then I was told he was hit by a bus. Again I said Oh no, that’s awful, where was this? I was told it happened near his home while riding his bicycle and I thought , wait, he lived in Westchester, oh my God, that was him !!! I saw the story on the local news never imagining it could be someone I once worked with and knew for so many years. Merrill was such a kind and gentle soul. A small man with enormous energy and wisdom. He took me for lunch one day when I first started working for UNICEF. He was so gracious. He didn’t have to take me for lunch, but it was a kind of “joke” that he won at a holiday party and he kept his word. I told him it wasn’t necessary but he insisted. We had a very nice time and from then we were good friends. He lived in the neighborhood where I grew up so we had that in common. I always admired him for his knowledge and goodness. It is such a shame that this lovely man had to die so tragically. So many people here at the U.N. are very shocked and upset. He was truly a hero. He will never be forgotten. May he rest in eternal peace. SHANTI Merrill.

SALEM, Ore. (AP)  A bicycle helmet helped an Oregon teenager survive without serious injury when her head was run over by a car following a collision.

Marion County sheriff’s deputies said 18-year-old Heather Wolff of Scotts Mills was trying to avoid hitting a car driven by 30-year-old Brandon Steinke of Salem when she was thrown over the handlebars of her bicycle and her head was run over by a rear wheel of the vehicle.

Deputies said the bike helmet was crushed but Wolff was released from Salem Hospital shortly after the Wednesday night accident.

Deputy Ron Chereghino said Wolff was very lucky and it could have been much worse.

The sheriff’s office said it was a good reminder for all bicyclists to wear helmets even though state law only requires them for children under the age of 16.

I cannot stop thinking about a man I didn’t know, Merrill Cassell who died Friday afternoon while riding one of his beloved bicycles. I know this only from reading his web blog, The Merrill Pages. Here you will find many articles he wrote and photos from cycling trips.

Cassell’s Mission statement: To live life with enthusiasm, honesty, passion and a positive attitude by making written contributions to the world, friends and UN community on management, HR and public policy issues. To challenge policy that has made the world a difficult place by tracing their mistakes and making proposals for betterment. By learning from past mistakes to reexamine and realign life and ideology, challenge all forms of bureaucracy and take on new ideas for intellectual stimulation. To divide life between work and play as living a life without fun is unfulfilling.

Cassell lived life to the fullest and helped hundreds of thousands of people to live life at all through his work with the United Nations. In the 1960’s he worked for an engineering company in Sri Lanka where he set up Learn to Swim campaigns there. Over 20,000 rural village children were taught how to swim. For this the Sri Lanka Association of New York awarded him a lifetime achievement award. He then joined the UN as an accountant in a number of capacities, ending in 1997 when he was Budget Director of UNICEF.

One of the reason I have keep looking for information about Merrill Cassell was this comment posted to one of the stories about his death.

“66 YEARS OLD AND STILL FOOLING AROUND WITH A BICYCLE!!!??? THIS JERK NEVER GREW UP, AND NOW HE NEVER WILL!!! GOOD RIDDANCE!!! ONE LESS PEST ON THE ROAD!!! AND 2 THINGS: I HOPE THAT THE BUS IS OK, AND BAN BICYCLES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

This quote is written just below his mission statement on his website.

“You don’t get to choose how you’re going to die. Or when. You can only decide how you’re going to live.”JOAN BAEZ

A bicyclist who died Friday after being struck by a Bee-Line bus was a 66-year-old town resident who pushed for greater use of bicycles in mass transit and recreation.

Merrill Cassell was believed to be crossing Route 119 about 3:30 p.m. when he was struck by the county bus traveling east near Aqueduct Road,Cassell, a retired budget director for UNICEF who lived in Greenburgh’s Poets Corner neighborhood, was well-known for his efforts to improve the quality of life in the town and Westchester. He was known for his efforts to integrate bicycle transport into Westchester’s transportation plan.

In a letter published last year in The Journal News, Cassell wrote that elected officials should, among other measures, expand bike paths and allow bicyclists to carry bikes on buses and trains.

“Westchester, Rockland and Putnam counties have great facilities for recreational biking,” Cassell wrote in the May 9, 2008 letter. “However, integrating bicycling with public transportation would show that the counties are truly interested in the welfare of the environment, a great service to the health of the living communities and future generations of the counties.”

Police are still investigating the accident and ask that anyone who witnessed it call 914-682-5325.

Journal News writer Marcela Rojos filed this report identifying the cyclists killed Friday afternoon in Greenburgh.

A 66-year-old Greenburgh man who was killed after his bicycle was struck by a Westchester County Bee-Line bus has been identified as Merrill Cassell.

Cassell, who was wearing a helmet, was traveling eastbound on Tarrytown Road near Aqueduct Road around 3:30 p.m. Friday, when he was hit by Bee-Line bus #534 driven by Everton Coleman of Yonkers, police said.

Cassell was taken to White Plains Hospital Center, where he was shortly pronounced dead.

Cassell, a retired budget director for UNICEF, was a strong advocate of using cycling as a means of public transportation.

Cassell’s family could not immediately be reached for comment.

The accident is currently under investigation by the Greenburgh Police Department’s Detective Division. Witnesses to the accident are asked to call the department at 914-682-5325.