Residents who live on Montclair"s North Mountain Avenue -- the scene of
two multi car crashes today -- had been promised traffic calming. Instead,
the town is only giving them Belgian block curbs, driveway aprons, and new
drains.
After two years of meetings, letters, petitions, and protests
against reckless speeding along the kid-filled blocks between Van Vleck and
Watchung Ave., residents say the town has stalled on its promise to provide
a traffic calming solution.
"We're all going to be together at a funeral
before the town decides to take us seriously," one irate resident told
Town Engineer Kimberli Craft at a meeting Tuesday, at Edgemont Park Shelter.
The
town called the meeting so residents could review plans for the "North Mountain
Avenue Improvements". A year ago, Craft had promised that street calming measures
would take place at the same time as street improvements. Well, apparently
the town just gave up forgot that part of the plan, but it is going ahead
with the beautification program, which also involves the removal of several
trees. So where are the stops signs, speed humps and chicanes?
"The Fire Chief opposed the plan (for speed humps) because of the delayed
response time, and after that, I have to admit, I did drop the ball,"
Craft announced at the meeting.
And that comment has residents reeling. "What
did you expect us to do, roll over and forget about this? My car has been
hit, while I was turning into my driveway, with three young kids inside,"
said North Mountain mom and attorney, Sally Coughlin.
Craft confirmed to Baristanet that the town spent $44,500 on consultants to study traffic patterns
which found that (surprise!) people are driving dangerously. She promised
a meeting between the neighborhood, the Fire Chief, and the Public Works Department
in the next two weeks.
But one exasperated resident walked out of the meeting with these
last words: “Spend the money on street calming. Don’t’ fix my street!â€
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Comments (13)
The town spent 44,500 on a traffic calming study. That study determined tht speed bumps were needed every 300 feet from Bloomfield to Watchung. Evidently, now the fire departmnet has put the kabash on our speed bumps. This makes no sense to me. Why is the fire department using a 25 MPH street when it could be using Valley or Upper Mountain Avenue which are 30 and 35 MPH? If the fire department needs to get onto North Mountain then they can turn up/down any number of streets. It seems to me that the fire department is using our street as a thoroughfare.
Last fall, speed bumps were placed on Brookfield (Side street between North Mountain and Valley). How come the fire department allowed those bumps but not the ones on North Mountain? It makes no sense to me. Ms Craft indidcated at the meeting last night that it only took one day to install the speed bumps on Brookfield. I WANT MY SPEED BUMPS!!!
What do speed bumps, or lack of them, on North Mountain have to do with these accidents? Didn't they take place at the intersection? I thought the traffic light was the issue.
they are not bumps they are humps. A bump in a parking lot is a bump-you jiggle to the left and right-and know when you hit them-a hump I have no clue exaclty what it is but it hasn't slowed anyone down on brookfied.
"What hump?
-- Marty Feldman
Most excellent flick C the G!
http://www.gotwavs.com/cgi-bin/wavs.cgi?Young_Frankenstein=the-ritz.wav
Walleroo,
The speed control measures are needed because too many people speed on North Mountain and use it and recklessly go through the intersections.
The speed limit on the street is 25 yet people often do 40 plus miles an hour. If you slow down the road, you will have less congestion at the intersections and less accidents.
the bumps/humps would help slow traffic more than a single traffic light at Watchung+N Mtn. Seems the town has chosen the most expensive solution to this problem instead of simple, inexpensive ones. But maybe they should beef up the drivers' ed classes for the state and teach how to drive, not just how to get a license.
It would also help to see police officers enforcing the speed limit on roads such as North Mountain, North Fullerton, and other residential streets.
Down in Nashville, they're called humps but up North the warning signs usually read bumps.
James Street in the North Center area of Bloomfield was repaved with new curbs and all but they didn't put in the speed bumps that would prevent the yahoos who drive 50 mph from scaring the bejeebus out of us pedestrians. Shame.
Hey Bob, why just "North" Mountain and "North" Fullerton? Are we at the south end chopped liver?
Dear BeanCounter: I wrote "North" Mountain because the Baristanet article was about "North" Mountain. I wrote about "North" Fullerton because I live near there and see cars speeding there whenever I walk my dog. I mentioned "other residential streets" because I empathize with anyone who is frustrated by people speeding down their streets. And, no, neither you nor your neighbors on Montclair's south end are chopped liver.
Another accident today at the corner of North Mountain and Watchung.
Maybe one of the neighbors at North Mountain and Watchung should put up a scoreboard. Like those safety signs in industrial palnts.
Last car crash "20" minutes ago
"40" crashes since January 1
It would be ironic if an accident happened because some bozo was looking at the scoreboard...