WOODBOURNE — Woodbourne's traffic is both boon and bane.

If it weren't for the summer crowds, there might not be a Woodbourne left to visit.

But for residents like Sherry and Michael Eidel, the crush of traffic is cause for concern.

“I stay isolated generally on Sundays,” Sherry says, unwilling to hazard the crowded concurrency of Routes 42 and 52 that forms Woodbourne's Main Street.

And when she does go out, she takes back roads to get around downtown.

“I feel like I'm going to get hurt because of the ignorance of others,” she explains. “It's double-, triple-parking, U-turns in the middle of town ... If I respect the law, why doesn't everyone?”

During the week, acknowledges Michael, the traffic flows fairly freely. But on summer weekends, it seems as if everyone is either headed to or through Woodbourne.

“It gets ridiculously crowded,” he observes.

So much so that the couple has repeatedly asked local officials to address the matter. Sherry even came to a recent County Legislature meeting to draw attention to the situation.

“Sunday is especially difficult,” she told legislators. “Many of us choose to stay at home rather than go out and drive.

“As we have more growth in Sullivan County, it's just going to get worse,” she predicted but added, “... I'm willing to be involved in any way to correct the congestion.”

Otherwise, worries Michael, “someone is going to get killed.”

Starting a study

The Town of Fallsburg is trying to get a handle on the number of travellers and how to improve safety and traffic flow in Eidel's hometown and other areas, and has engaged its traffic engineer and the NYS Dept. of Transportation (NYSDOT) to assist in the creation of a coordinated traffic plan from Route 42's intersection with Heiden Road (County Route 161) in South Fallsburg to the town line near Woodbourne.

Indeed, earlier this month, two of NYSDOT's most senior officials - including its regional engineer - took a tour of the Route 42 corridor, including Woodbourne, at the behest of Town Supervisor Steve Vegliante.

They saw how backed up Woodbourne can get on a busy summer weekend.

“It is terrible,” Vegliante says between admonitions to drivers who are stopping in the middle of the road to pick up or drop off people in downtown Woodbourne.

“But stopping people and giving them tickets doesn't help traffic [flow],” he points out. “And towing cars doesn't fix traffic either.

“The idea is not to create revenue,” he adds. “The idea is to keep traffic moving.”

Indeed, the three Fallsburg police officers on patrol in Woodbourne that Sunday were busiest ensuring cars and trucks slowly proceeded through the downtown, where shops were bustling with customers.

At one point, a ticket had to be written for someone who had parked in front of a parking lot driveway entrance, forcing lot users to inch around the car's back bumper.

Located at a curve where Hasbrouck Drive intersects Main Street, that particular section of 42/52 can be a challenge to navigate, whether one's on foot or behind the wheel.

The sidewalks in front of Woodbourne's many shops vanish at that point, and pedestrians often end up walking in the road.

Thousands visiting, passing through

This is a street that lives up to the moniker “crossroads.” Route 42 is a major artery for eastern Sullivan County, whereas Route 52 arguably is even more significant, as it's not just a heavily used local pathway but a key road between Binghamton and Kingston.

Thus while the downtown foot traffic is predominantly New York City and Jewish, the automobile traffic is diverse - and on a recent Sunday, seemed unending.

Yet without this traffic, the local economy wouldn't be anywhere near what it is, as Woodbourne's business district is virtually a ghost town in the winter.

Between Memorial Day and Labor Day, however, the stores, restaurants and historic synagogue attract an extraordinary amount of people, most pronounced on the weekends.

“There are thousands of people coming up to the Catskills,” affirms Rabbi Mordechai Jungreis, who leads the local synagogue and is also the Niklesburg Rebbe of Boro Park, Brooklyn.

The near-century-old shul has become a fixture of the hamlet, its open-door invitation attracting far more than orthodox Jews.

“I deal with all kinds of people, all kinds of religions,” Rabbi Jungreis relates. “... The Congregation is bringing a lot of people from all over the world.”

And like the synagogue, the area is “just growing and growing,” he observes, noting new developments in addition to a burgeoning tourist crowd.

He sees the traffic backups from the shul, which has indoor and outdoor seating close to the road. As a result, he's hired an individual to help keep traffic moving in front of the synagogue and posted signs urging participants not to park illegally with tires on the other side of the white shoulder line.

He plans to put up another sign stating that stopping, standing and U-turns are not allowed.

Those visiting town need “to respect the people who live here all year-round,” he acknowledges, adding earlier this year he gave a widely distributed recorded message asking people not to speed, stop in the road, make U-turns or drive recklessly.

“I mentioned it two to three times: it's called STATE Route 52,” he explains, emphasizing the need to keep traffic moving.

Sherry says she's had good interactions with Rabbi Jungreis, and indeed, he affirmed his willingness to help in whatever way he can.

“I believe anything can be resolved with interest,” she adds, noting her concerns don't rest on ethnicity or religious practice. “It's not against Hasidics. It's a health and safety concern.”

Part 2 will appear in this coming Tuesday's edition ...