file photo by Village Manager Keith Kazmark
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, the Clinton Avenue sidewalk project in Ridgewood has sparked ongoing debate among residents, with opinions sharply divided over its implications for pedestrian safety and the overall impact on the community. While the project aims to enhance safety, particularly for children walking to Ridge School, it has also raised concerns among residents about potential unintended consequences.
Project Progress and Concerns
Despite challenging weather conditions, the sidewalk construction has moved forward and is expected to be completed within the next week or two. This long-discussed project has been framed as a crucial step toward improving pedestrian safety in the area, especially during school drop-off and pick-up times.
However, some residents, like Dana Glazer, have expressed strong reservations. Glazer voiced concerns that the introduction of sidewalks could lead to an increase in vehicular traffic on Clinton Avenue, as parents might start using the street for drop-offs, potentially creating dangerous conditions similar to those observed on Brookside Avenue, where cars often double-park and make risky maneuvers.
Glazer also criticized the handling of the project by local officials, questioning the decision to move forward without conducting impact studies or addressing key issues like ADA compliance. He pointed out that the ordinance closing Clinton Avenue during school hours has been in place for seventy years without incident and believes the village is rushing into the project without fully considering the potential risks.
Voices from the Community
Other residents have echoed Glazer’s concerns. Jacqueline Jackie highlighted the lack of consultation with the Department of Transportation (DOT) and the absence of impact studies, expressing frustration over what she sees as a hasty decision-making process. She also pointed out that a lawsuit related to the project could end up costing taxpayers thousands of dollars.
On the other side of the debate, Jennifer Herendeen Plumer, a parent who supports the sidewalk project, argued that the effort is genuinely about protecting children who walk to school. Plumer noted that the current road closure on Clinton Avenue has been difficult to enforce, leading to situations where children walk with a false sense of security, only to encounter speeding cars. She emphasized that the goal is to create a safer environment for students, not to make the street more convenient for drop-offs.
What’s Next?
As the Clinton Avenue sidewalk project nears completion, the discussion among Ridgewood residents is likely to continue. The differing perspectives underscore the complex balance between safety, convenience, and community impact. As the village moves forward, these conversations will play a critical role in shaping the future of Clinton Avenue and the broader Ridgewood community.
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It’s not really a sidewalk problem, it’s we want a private street problem.
And so the Clinton Ave residents are now exposed to similar if not same issues that all other “sidewalk residences” have in our Village. Getting the same treatment as everyone else is just so difficult to accept for those who feel a bit special all the time. Suck it up. Enjoy the traffic that ignores the speed limit just like those who live near by.
Ahhhh, so that’s what’s really behind all the hate for the Clinton Ave sidewalk resistance — ENVY. If “sidewalk residences” have to suffer, so should everyone else.
I agree the village does not do the proper studies and they have been making extremely hasty and quick decisions. For example taking the barn at Habernickel down and proceeding with a pavilion BUT when you live by a school you will have cars use your street to get to the school and to park for school pick up. That goes without saying.
“The village does not do the proper studies…”
Case in point:
Today’s paving of West Saddle River Road, over 30 years in the making, was postponed midway thru the day by the contractor due to the abysmal conditions of the road and manhole covers.
Residents who were told they’d be housebound today (and adjusted schedules accordingly) have now been updated that the project will instead resume Thursday or Friday.
It’s so farcical you can really only laugh at this point.
This clown council (minus Lorraine) and their genius “engineer” have turned the VOR into a run of the mill Jersey joke, no matter how desperately they aspire to Summit, Chatham, Rye, or Greenwich status.
Try Camden.
Not a sidewalk problem anymore with the new sidewalks, it is a school drop off congestion problem, which exists at many of the schools. The street should absolutely have sidewalks and crossing guards, as kids from the neighborhoods across Godwin avenue walk that route to Ridge School. Clinton, now being open during school hours will be jam packed with cars going to and from both GW and Ridge and it will pose some issues given there will be a new traffic pattern. What might work best is for the street to be closed in the short term during drop off and pick up hours to allow for some study or attention to be paid to the traffic patterns at the schools. All of the schools have nightmare traffic in the am, I have to believe there is a way to make it safer, easier to manage. Agree more kids should walk, but how do you enforce or encourage that? Rainy days dropping kids are the ultimate in congestion.
True it is a car problem. Maybe instead of continually trying to make car drop off easier by widening streets by schools we should spend less money and make it safer and more convenient to let kids walk or ride bikes to school as was the historical norm. More sidewalks and some bike lanes near schools where it makes sense.
They don’t want to be responsible for shoveling snow from those sidewalks.
Are they not going to keep the road closed to thru traffic during the mornings and afternoons as before? If so, what is the problem? The issue is people were using the road as a cut through ignoring the closure signs – the same assholes will continue to do so I am sure.
Maybe Glazer can go hang a sign over the highway to express his displeasure.
#FREETHEROAD
Once upon a time, sidewalks were pitched as necessary for the safety of all. Now the sidewalks are here. Now is everyone is safe. The end.
Look at that complete assclown Steve F admin on Facebook RW M&D page He along with Whino should be banned from commenting.
Do admins comment on posts before or after they ban people from their selective page?
#gottalovefreedomofspeech
#yourmileageisverylowstevef
#whinoneedstoputacorkinit
#pseudointellectualssuck
He is an enormous tool. Here is a theory to support the above and in general these low IQ and EQ individuals like SF and SW:
People who have low IQs might think they’re actually very intelligent, which is called the Dunning-Kruger effect. According to the Dunning-Kruger effect, people who actually know very little on a certain topic assume they’re very knowledgeable about it.
Psychologist David Dunning wrote that “The scope of people’s ignorance is often invisible to them.” He referred to that lack of understanding of one’s own mental limitations as “meta-ignorance,” or being ignorant of “the multitude of ways they demonstrate gaps in knowledge.”
Whereas high intelligence performers openly recognize what they don’t know, people with low intelligence go the opposite route. They lack intellectual humility, which means they don’t acknowledge that they struggle to understand certain topics. This creates a level of low-self awareness and, oftentimes, an inflated sense of self or ego.
How smart of you to figure that out.
If everyone is worried about cars……….why didn’t they widen the street to a safe distance?
Because the homeowners didn’t want to do that. That was suggested in the meetings, as well as, adding 2 sidewalks. They didn’t want sidewalks at all. They were also asked if they would want a hard close (which means it would be closed to everyone) during those hours and they didn’t want that either. They were happy with the status quo. They were happy with the responsibility being put on young kids to navigate the cars (including the homeowners) that continue to drive up and down Clinton despite the soft closure and barricades during school drop off and pick up.
The residents refused to widen the road to meet the recommended road width and to have ADA-compliant sidewalks on both sides of the street, which was unanimously voted against.
Entitled ass-wipes finally got their comeuppance
There is no reason not to have sidewalks in Ridgewood. This is not some rural town. People are here for the schools and walkability. If you want less traffic, encourage people to walk by having sidewalks on every street. I hope S. Murray and Lake Ave get sidewalks too.