photos courtesy of Village Manager Keith Kazmark
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, According to the Village Manager Keith Kazmark, the Clinton Avenue sidewalk project progressed earlier this week. While the weather has been a challenge, the project will continue and be wrapped up in the next week or two. This long discussed project will improve pedestrian safety, especially when traveling to Ridge School.
Resident Dana Glazer said in a Facebook comment ,
“Keith, as a resident of Clinton Avenue, I think I can speak for all of my neighbors when I say that safety is the most important thing and always has been. However, the way you have gone about this project will make the street less safe. There has been no consideration for those who live on the other side of Clinton Avenue that have handicap issues, no ADA compliance, which is why there is now a lawsuit that is going to cost everybody in our village money to deal with. There is no plan in place for the top of the street with children coming from the direction of South Murray and as far as I can tell, no plan to put an extra crossing guard there to handle the excess traffic that’s going to happen on our street. The department of transportation has weighed in on the ordinance that has been in place for the last 70 years keeping our street closed during morning drop off and pick up and deemed it valid. Neither you nor anyone from the village had reached out to the department of transportation to inquire. Can you explain this? There has never been a reported accident on our street involving a car and a pedestrian. And still, you are determined to remove this ordinance. Why? Having it remain in place Will keep the street safe and resolve any issues as it always has. Removing it will create a situation similar to what happens every morning on Brookside Avenue in front of the high school, with lots of cars, stopping and going, k-turns in driveways and students being dropped off. It is dangerous on Brookside and it will be more dangerous with small children. I can’t understand why you would want to push this. So please, do not write about your dedication to making the street safer because your actions are the opposite.”
And in an unusual move the Village Manager answered Mr. Glazer saying,
‘Dana Glazer, much of this is not factual. I can’t publicly address the ongoing legal matter you referenced, however, the project was designed and engineered to meet all ADA requirements. Any requests for a mid-block cross walk or a painted shoulder lane to walk in are not supported by the RPD or the Engineering Department. Both run against the recommended guidelines used for traffic control and pose safety risks. As for the street closure, the Office of the Attorney General has a different position on the matter than does the DOT. The Police Chief is accountable to the AG as the Chief Law Enforcement Officer in the State of New Jersey. That’s why Chief Lyons has requested a written opinion from the AG to clear up the contradicting opinions. Should the AG opine that the street can be closed, the Village Council can consider not repealing the closure in September on the second reading of the ordinance. The placement of new sidewalks throughout the Village are clearly an improved safety measure for all pedestrians. I hope this provides some factual and accurate information regarding the matter.”
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Dana Glazer, propagandist.
Dana is in no way a propagandist. We are dealing with an overly entitled community. Wah, Wah about fields that Ridgewood does not fix because Paul Vagianos said we don’t have the resources. BS. So if someone speaks up on a topic, they are a propagandist? Stop being overly entitled because you can’t drive at top speed to get your children to school. Safety has to come first. Throughout of all of this, I see a very entitled community and not one that cares about eachother and what others are going through. Everyone is me, me, me.
I’m on my way to Vatican City to inquire of the Pope about your immediate sainthood.
Please hurry. I think you can take the Vatican Express. it is free this week and please tell him that I said hello.
The person who I think is a propogandist, isn’t Dana, itis the annoying older gentlemen, and I use that term generously, who is constantly posting and giving kudos to the village despite having bashed the last administration for pretty much everything they did. Then you’ve got the Greenwasher, Frank the Bee Man who also has his scripted nonsense about everything from now mow, slow mow but I haven’t heard a peep out of him about this sidewalk sitch even though his young daughter spoke about safety. What gives Frank? Vagianos and his puppet show is propaganda in its purest form.
Somehow Dana is trying to make the case that sidewalks make things less safe. Hmmmm. Or maybe “not in my backyard” Dana?
Shut up about safety already.
First, the idiots demanded sidewalks in the name of safety.
Now they’re getting the sidewalks.
But now the idiots demand that the timed street closure remain in effect because the sidewalks will promote dangerous conditions. So safety wasn’t contingent on the presence of sidewalks after all; apparently the opposite.
Can I get a Rich? And can I get a Stupid?
“Now they’re getting the sidewalks.”
Now in winter, they’ll have to Shovel the Snow and ice off the sidewalks for safety like everybody else, or get fined. Ha!
NIMBY much
What Dana means by “safety” is not wanting anyone else driving on his street.
I have been tuning in to the debate on Clinton Ave. sidewalks for many years. The overarching theme is that the residents want a private street, so that cars related to Ridge School do not line their street either during the day or during events that take place at the school. I am calling bull$hit on that, because I live 3 blocks from the school and my street is lined on the daily (during school months) with overflow from Ridge due to parking restrictions in Midland Park and on N Murray and S Murray. Cars drive at sometimes over the speed limit speeds on my street to get their kids to school. I have not ever thought I would be entitled to a private street based on the same assumptions these Clinton Ave. people have. My street has kids walking to school, but the sidewalks keep them safe as do the crossing guards. Why should Clinton be any different, it is more than wide enough for sidewalks on both sides. Add sidewalks to both sides and let’s just move on once and for all and deal with all the other issues in town.
“Cars drive at sometimes over the speed limit speeds on my street to get their kids to school.”
So who is creating the dangerous conditions then? Well, if the parents rushing to get their elementary school-aged kids to school aren’t concerned with anyone else’s safety, why should I be? And if you have to exceed the speed limit to get your kids to school on time, you’re a failure and an a-hole.
Because if you haven’t been paying attention to the traffic accidents that happen on the regular in this town, curbs are hardly an impediment. Just sayin’…
That is my point, cars speed all over Ridgewood in the areas near the schools for pickup and drop off and there appears to be little enforcement. A safer Ridgewood includes both sidewalks and traffic/speed enforcement. A behavior change is needed. Once parents zipping through the streets see a car pulled over by a police officer, perhaps next time they will slow down.
Yeah, but that’s not going to happen.
I think we should close all streets during school drop off and pick up then. Should we do that on Godwin too? You know, for safety.
As of start of school, Clinton Avenue will no longer be closed
Here are my 2 cents for what it is worth. I have seen parents rushing to drop off their children. Their precious bundles, while almost taking out numerous kids just to get there in record time because it probaby took too long for their kids to eat their eggos and mom has to get to pilates. Unsafe conditions, sidewalks or not, do not warrant reckless driving. Cut the sh*t and get real. Yes, it will be an adjustment but this isn’t what this neighborhood asked for and now because of “petitioning parents” who only care about themselves and not on public safety of walking students, just care about their end result outcome. It just sucks to be so short sighted and selfish.