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Toastique to Open in Ridgewood with Grand Opening Celebration

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the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, the Village of Ridgewood is about to get a little toastier! Toastique, a popular chain of toast and juice shops, is opening its doors in the heart of Ridgewood’s historic district next weekend. Known for its gourmet toast creations, smoothie bowls, and cold-pressed juices, Toastique’s new location will bring fresh flavors and cozy vibes to 2-4 Garber Square.

Continue reading Toastique to Open in Ridgewood with Grand Opening Celebration

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Long Overdue Milling and Paving of Franklin Avenue Begins in Ridgewood

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photos by Boyd Loving

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, Franklin Avenue from Garber Square to North Maple Avenue, will be closed to traffic from November 18th and on Monday, November 21st, for milling and paving. Expect delays, follow all detours, and plan an alternate route accordingly. This work is weather dependent, and the dates may need to be altered, if necessary.

Continue reading Long Overdue Milling and Paving of Franklin Avenue Begins in Ridgewood

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Inn and Restaurant Proposed for Garber Square in Ridgewood

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phot courtesy of Google Maps

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, the Foodie Blog  boozyburbs is reporting a new restaurant and inn proposed for Garber Square in Ridgewood. According to boozyburbs the proposed inn and restaurant would be housed at 2-4 Garber Square, known as the Corsa Building, with the first floor housing a restaurant that includes a liquor license. The second floor will be home to a six room inn offering overnight accommodations .

Continue reading Inn and Restaurant Proposed for Garber Square in Ridgewood

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“Reported Suspicious Occupied vehicle” Turns into Drug Bust in Ridgewood

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the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ,Ridgewood Police report that Patrol units were dispatched to Garber Square on June 12, 2020 for a reported suspicious occupied vehicle. Responding officers, Ptl. James Bigos and Ptl. Jack Knudsen located the described occupied vehicle on private property. Upon further investigation, a 21 year-old male from Washington Township, N.J. and a 18 year-old female from Franklin Lakes, N.J. were arrested at the scene for Possession of Marijuana. Both arrestees were transported to Ridgewood Police headquarters, served with complaint summons and then released with a pending court date.

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Reader Attempts to explain the flawed logic behind the Garber Square Traffic Mess

Bike Lane Traffic Easing Ridgewood

” The problem in Garber Square is that it is really dangerous for bikers and pedestrians. Biikes used to use the sidewalk and often walked their bikes in that locatiom. No one is using the bike lane now except the cars. While bilking and walking are better for the people and the environment, not all areas are conducive to both cars and bikes. Garber Square is one of those areas.”

Reader Attempts to explain the flawed logic behind the Garber Square Traffic Mess:

“Understanding that this will not be popular on the venue, but here is the other side of the bike lane issue. The process started with the realization that the Garber Square roadway needed to be repaved. When last done the asphalt surface was scarified or roughened to give more traction so that the motor vehicles who were speeding around the curves didn’t crash as often. The modern approach to safety now is to engineer the roadway to slow cars down as opposed to trying to find ways to let them go faster, thus making roadways safer for all users. There are engineering standards for the width of traffic lanes which vary according to the speed limit, with the principle being the narrower the lane the slower a driver will go as there is less room for error.

The NACTO Guide (https://nacto.org/publication/urban-street-design-guide/street-design-elements/lane-width/) suggests that maximum lane width be 10’ except on truck or bus lanes and that 11’ or wider lanes (which are the norm currently in Ridgewood) lead to more speeding and other negative consequences.
So if you design the roadway with narrower lanes to make it safer, what do you do with the now extra space? Typically this affords the opportunity to add things like bike lanes or additional median space and even bump outs for pedestrian crossings.

Now another argument is that the new design reduced the capacity of the road as there were sort of two lanes before and now there is one lane with a right turn lane added at each end. If you look , on the east side both Broad and Franklin are one lane roads, as are Ridgewood Avenue and Godwin Ave/Wilsey Square on the west side. Having Garber remain two lanes all the way doesn’t speed things up or increase capacity if the roads leading into it remain one lane. The only change is that fewer cars can be stacked in there waiting for red lights which is an issue only at the busiest times. When the plan was presented I remember people screaming that the line of cars would back up all the way to Midland Park. I would say the changes have been minor. Traffic backs up at 8am, 3PM and around evening rush hour just like it did in the past.

It seems like our Village Council spends more time on issues involving cars than any other issue, between whether or not we need a parking garage, complaints from neighborhoods about commuters parking on their streets all day and the complaints about traffic delays or speeding thru neighborhoods. Instead of trying to find more ways, at great expense, to cram more cars onto our streets we should be looking at ways to allow residents to get around without depending completely on cars. Thru the mid 20th century most children got to school either by walking or riding a bicycle. Now almost 90% are driven to school with the resulting traffic jam in town twice a day. The village and Board of Education have spent hundreds of thousands of dollars widening roads or adding new ones to create drop off areas and we force school administrators and teachers to become traffic cops two times a day. It would be cheaper for taxpayers and much healthier for kids if we stop spending money trying to make it easier to drive to school and instead find ways to make it easier and safer walking and cycling there. The distances are short and the obstacles few.

There are many studies showing that making central business districts more walkable and bikeable increase the economic vitality of the area. Simple google searches will get dozens but here is a general resource about the concept (https://smartgrowthamerica.org/resources/evaluating-complete-streets-projects-a-guide-for-practitioners/). In short, if folks are more comfortable walking around downtown, they will stay there longer and spend more.

Right now on nice days 50-60 bicycles are locked up at and around the train station. Improved parking facilities and making their trip to the station easier and safer would increase their numbers which in turn means fewer cars and less fighting about parking spots and garages.

Summing up, I think the problem is we have too few bike lanes in town. Adopting a Complete Streets Plan, and encouraging walking, bicycling and mass transit can do a lot of good for Ridgewood. It can improve quality of life, health of our residents and improve the economic vitality of our village . I am a realist and understand the automobile will remain the dominant mode of transport but if Ridgewood ignores the demographic trends occurring in millennials (lowest rate of car licensing/ownership since WW2) and current trends in planning and street design (https://smartgrowthamerica.org/our-vision/ ) it will become less attractive as a town folks want to live in. My credentials include riding a bicycle about 3000 miles each year and being Board Chair of the largest bicycle safety and education organization in the USA ( https://www.bike.nyc/ ). And by the way, the design of the bike lane meets all current engineering standards and is the safest way by far for a bicyclist to cross from the west to east side of town.

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Ridgewood Central Business District : New Traffic Lights at Garber Square?

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file photo by Boyd Loving

Roberta, Paul and Neighbors,

I am forwarding/resending an email that I sent to Roberta a year ago (12/9/14) on the traffic issue.  Since that time, nothing meaningful or effective has been done to alleviate Residents’ traffic and safety concerns at Garber.  To the Residents on this chain, I will say that Roberta did respond very quickly at the time (which I appreciated).  However, in the email she put forth her belief that the Village never promised new signals, but rather a calibration of the existing signals.

My takeaway from the Underpass meetings was that the Village would clearly be looking at ways to better and more safely address traffic flow at this problematic bottleneck.  I firmly believe there was specific discussion of traffic light changes as an option.  At the very least, we need that.  Turn signals that allow the train station and West RW Ave traffic to turn towards the underpass as separate times, without competing would be a great holiday gift to us all!

This morning at 8:50, traffic from Garber was backed up past Heights and even past the McNamara’s house.  That’s a bad and unnecessary thing.  Wasn’t like that before.  And once again, a Ridgewood business (this time Sook) lost my breakfast business, because I couldn’t get there and had to reroute away from our CBD.

Roberta and Paul, please… let’s use this current stream of emails as a catalyst to effect something positive that your Residents are really asking for and clearly need:  Something far simpler and less expensive than an almost football-field-sized parking garage, that will have an immediate positive impact for all Residents, especially the West-siders.   Perhaps right after the New Year we can meet again to discuss this situation.  Again, I see an OPPORTUNITY to fix something that’s broken, using real “data from the field… your Residents input.”

At those preconstruction Underpass meetings, there was a commitment from the Village to continue the discussions and situational monitoring once the work was complete.  Now is a great time for us to talk again.

Happy and Merry Everything.  May your New Year be fruitful and filled with many short trips through the underpass!

Cheers,
Dave Slomin

Subject: New Traffic Lights at Garber Square?

Good Morning Roberta,

Hope all is well with you and a happy almost New Year.

Back in the Spring, when we were discussing the Garber Square project, you indicated that an important facet of the project, to ensure proper traffic flow, was the installation of new traffic lights with turn signals.  These were referred to as necessary to achieve the desired traffic flow goals of the project and to improve safety.  As such, when will these be installed?

As a West-Sider, I am finding – especially at rush hour times when train station pickups and drop-offs are in full force – that traffic on W. Ridgewood Ave often backs up well past Washington Place due to the fact that cars leaving the train station lot, turning right, have the right of way.  Now that there is only one vehicular lane of traffic heading East, cars on W. Ridgewood Ave have to wait until all the cars coming out of the station lot are through the light.  Oftentimes only one or two vehicles on W. Ridgewood can get through the light before it changes, leading to this backup.  On many recent occasions, I have sat through 4-5 turns of the light before reaching the intersection.  I have also witnessed some problematic and unsafe jockeying for position at this intersection, as W. Ridgewood Ave drivers assert themselves more aggressively to get through the intersection.

Frustration aside, the downside to the Village and its businesses is that at rush hours  – which are also the dinner and breakfast/coffee hours – my family and I have started avoiding that intersection.  At the evening rush, we have been diverting from downtown Ridgewood to Midland Park more frequently than in the past.  In the morning, I’ve been getting my coffee in Fairlawn or Glen Rock, rather than stopping in at Carlo’s or Ridgewood Coffee and having to deal with Garber Square.  I hate doing this, but it’s just easier not to deal with Garber Square at those times.  Again, bad for Ridgewood business.  But fixable…

As we discussed earlier, that intersection is the “gatekeeper” to Ridgewood’s CBD from the west side.  I hope that the lights will be going in soon to keep that gate more fully open.

Please let me know where this stands.

Thanks much,

Dave Slomin

David Slomin, President
Andover Properties
25 East Spring Valley Ave, Suite 280
Maywood, NJ 07607
Tel:  201-368-5900 x101
Fax: 201-368-5959
Eml: daves@andoverproperties.com<mailto:daves@andoverproperties.com

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One year Later “traffic-calming measures” at Garber Square prove both disastrous and dangerous

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Honda Pilot becomes first known casualty of Garber Square improvement project photo by Boyd Loving
December 23,2015

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Reader says new bike lane by the Ridgewood train station appears very ill-conceived, dangerous and might not be legal in New Jersey

The new bike lane by the Ridgewood train station strikes me as very ill-conceived, and frankly, dangerous.  It is the first bike lane I have ever seen that crosses over from the right shoulder into a space between two car lanes.  The fact that it is on a sharp decline, just after a hard right turn, and just before a busy intersection, makes it even worse.

https://theridgewoodblog.net/reader-says-new-bike-lane-by-the-ridgewood-train-station-appears-very-ill-conceived-dangerous-and-might-not-be-legal-in-new-jersey/

Ridgewood NJ, Almost one year later the “Traffic Easing “project continues to appear ,”very ill-conceived, and frankly, dangerous”. When this project was initially hatched a project no one in town including some very long term residents had ever heard of until ground was basically broken.

At the time the Village Manager assured us that there were no traffic issues at Garber Square. Where as any resident knows that by 7:15 am on any given day there are cars backed up West  Ridgewood Ave, waiting to get through the light or into the train station. The same can be said at the end of the day. With some days heavy traffic extends throughout the morning.

This really was seen by many as the tipping point of  “trust factor” for those in charge. Residents organized as a community to challenge this decision and were categorically dismissed as not wanting change, NIMBY’s and not knowing what we were talking about.

Traffic study? Who needs that? We will calibrate the traffic lights to make it all better. We know better than you guys do. Well, unfortunately the bikers ,for fear of their lives have not come but the traffic sure has. Now the projects and the stakes are getting much bigger than a poorly thought out bike lane of death or an obnoxious flashing sign telling passing motorists to eat and shop in Ridgewood. Residents continue to be told , rest assured everything has been carefully thought out and planned by professionals. These projects so far certainly don’t seem to show that and one wonders why some many residents don’t view the town council as having the residents best interests in mind with these projects.

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New Sign at Garber Square Causes Fears of Safety Issues for Ridgewood Drivers

welcome to ridgewood
photo by Boyd Loving
December 22,2015
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ ,the new LED sign near Garber Square on Franklin avenue has created quite a stir around town to say nothing of the visual noise at that particular intersection. The lights from the trains station, the new sign, the traffic lights, and drivers are supposed to be looking out for bikers entering the bike lane as well . This intersection seems particular difficult and the added distraction of the new sign  has been cause for alarm. Will we have to wait for the first traffic accident due to the sign (lets say snow, rain, etc with glowing lights in your face) and then something can be done about it?

According to the Village Manager Roberta Sonenfeld , “The PRIMARY purpose of the new LED sign is to serve as an emergency public information tool to communicate with the public. The village is constantly refining its Emergency Operations Plan, including the Emergency Public Information component of that plan, working in conjunction with Bergen County’s OEM and following all the recommended practices of the Department of Homeland Security and FEMA.  The installation of the sign was carefully planned as part of the village’s overall communications strategy during times of emergency, especially in the event of a widespread power failure where other means of communication are unavailable. ” Roberta goes on ,” the location of this sign was carefully chosen and has been evaluated by the RPD and Village Engineers. Thankfully we have not had a crisis situation since Sandy but If we were in crisis mode this would be a place for residents to come and know the steps that are being taken to address an emergency situation.”

Many residents have again voiced concern that the sign is yet another distraction , A study conducted in 2006 by Virginia Tech for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration showed that anything that takes a driver’s eyes off of the road for more than two seconds greatly increases the risk of a crash.  The same study also concluded that nearly 80% of all crashes involved driver inattention just prior (within three (3) seconds) of the crash.

According to the Village Manager , the cost for the sign was approximately $13,600, inexpensive by Ridgewood standards ,but still these things add up . Whats seems even odder is that the Village has and “Electric Sign ” ordnance which clearly states that any electric sign had to be placed a certain distance from the public roadway. Clearly this sign is in violation of the Villages own ordinance.

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Underpass woes in Ridgewood

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Letter to the Editor published in The Record, Sunday, June 8, 2014

Underpass woes in Ridgewood

Ridgewood’s underpass brouhaha won’t be over until it’s over.

Meanwhile, the question is how to go under.

We’re assured that a full complement of staff professionals worked on this plan for years and the council approved it unanimously. Responding to public outcry, however, the council quickly agreed to demolish 800 to 900 feet of just-poured curbing to halve the center divider’s width from eight feet to four feet. Previously it was 3.5 feet. That enables two driving lanes to be restored later, if desired.

Good, but what a waste. And aren’t the bicycle lanes the basis of a $146,500 grant under the state’s “Complete Streets” program? Would removing them forfeit the grant?

Since a narrow median can’t support trees, wood chips or gardeners, it will be “hardscaped,” not landscaped. That’s okay, said new Village Manager Roberta Sonenfeld, because the median plantings on Grove Street have gone to weeds anyway. Moreover, the $5,000 “saved” on trees and $20,000 “saved” on an irrigation system can go toward the $45,000 needed to replace the new curbing.

Communications were inadequate, admitted Sonenfeld. Residents who instantly saw the plan as untenable would have weighed in long ago had they been informed.

During World War II, my father worked with Army traffic in Europe. Pins were stuck into road maps with different pin colors representing the number and extent of accidents at intersections. Where “too many” deaths were tallied, someone was sent to direct traffic.

Is that what will happen at the underpass?

Marcia Ringel
Ridgewood, June 5

– See more at: https://www.northjersey.com/opinion/opinion-letters-to-the-editor/the-record-letters-sunday-june-8-1.1031360?page=all#sthash.tHmAVDFU.dpuf

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Reader says new bike lane by the Ridgewood train station appears very ill-conceived, dangerous and might not be legal in New Jersey

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file photo Boyd Loving

Reader says new bike lane by the Ridgewood train station appears very ill-conceived, dangerous and might not be legal in New Jersey

The new bike lane by the Ridgewood train station strikes me as very ill-conceived, and frankly, dangerous.  It is the first bike lane I have ever seen that crosses over from the right shoulder into a space between two car lanes.  The fact that it is on a sharp decline, just after a hard right turn, and just before a busy intersection, makes it even worse.

I did some quick research and it looks as though such a bike lane might not be legal in New Jersey.  A rule adopted by the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs in 1997 states: “Bicycle lanes, where provided, shall be placed in the outside lane of a roadway, adjacent to the curb or shoulder.”  See 29 N.J.R. 159(a).  There is language in the rule adoption about an expiration date in 2002.  I am not sure if the rule is still in effect or not, and admittedly, New Jersey Administrative law is not my area of expertise, but perhaps someone else can comment on this.

If the rule has expired, it should be readopted at the state level.  Or another option would be for Ridgewood to write this requirement into its own municipal code.  The Borough of Medford Lakes, New Jersey has done just that (see the Medford Lakes Municipal Code, §145-124(b)).

At any rate, Ridgewood should rethink the new bicycle lane for the safety of its bicyclists, as well as the peace of mind of its drivers.

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Overnight Milling Project at Garber Square in Ridgewood

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photos by Boyd Loving

Overnight Milling Project at Garber Square 
October 21,2104
Boyd A. Loving

Ridgewood NJ, Garber Square, Ridgewood was closed in both directions (eastbound and westbound) to all vehicular traffic from 2000 hours on Monday, 10/20/2014, through 0600 hours on Tuesday, 10/21/2014 to allow for milling of the road surface in preparation for paving.  This work was performed in connection with a major streetscape project approved by the Ridgewood Village Council.  In addition to paving, the project will include the addition of bike lanes in both directions, the reduction of traffic lanes from two lanes to one lane, and a median island.

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photos by Boyd Loving

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Reader Gives a brief history of this money-pit debacle.

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Reader Gives a brief history of this money-pit debacle.

A brief history of this money-pit debacle.

1. The new Village manager, with the backing of her lefty base, thought it would be the right thing to do, to instal traffic-calming measures on a stretch of road that was badly in need to repair. No public discussion was invited.

2. A contractor was awarded the project and there does not appear to have been language in the contract regarding completion time.

3. Work starts and the public quickly learn of this major change to the Village’s one and only traffic link between the two sides of town. Outrage is the result and work is stopped.

4. Work eventually resumes, whereby much of the original work has to be put back the way it was and the project basically starts again.

5. The Village Manager issues a public statement regarding her displeasure at the length of time the project is taking, and talks of finding a new contractor.

Is it any wonder people don’t want the Government managing their health?

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Ridgewood insists contractor pick up pace on street project

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Ridgewood insists contractor pick up pace on street project

SEPTEMBER 10, 2014    LAST UPDATED: WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 2014, 1:21 AM
THE RECORD

RIDGEWOOD — Work has been slow on a controversial street improvement project that has frustrated village officials exploring their options.

Village Manager Roberta Sonenfeld said construction recently resumed on the Garber Square project, following a three-month gap. But things are proceeding “very, very slowly,” she said, before suggesting Ridgewood officials consider hiring another contractor to finish the job.

“We were hoping to be a lot farther” along with the project, Sonenfeld said, adding the contractor “is aware we are not happy.

– See more at: https://www.northjersey.com/news/ridgewood-insists-contractor-pick-up-pace-on-street-project-1.1084487#sthash.pD8eGyJJ.dpuf

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Traffic Impact Study to Continue for Garber Square

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Traffic Impact Study to Continue for Garber Square

Ridgewood NJ,  Chief John M. Ward  updates residents on the process .As many of you are aware we undertook a traffic impact study from late May through the end of July. This study utilized specialized camera suits loaned to the police department at no cost by a community-policing partner Secure Watch 24. Additionally to avoid costs to our residents college interns working with the department as well as myself conducted the study. Staff from Secure Watch 24 also monitored the cameras during the period of June and July.

During the months of June and July no evidence of significant delays related to the new traffic patterns were observed. We realize that the study was conducted during the summer, and that traffic flow is generally lighter. However the study was dependent upon the availability of the camera units and interns. Unfortunately the company did need the loaned equipment to assist with event security elsewhere during the month of August.
Secure Watch 24 has again provided two camera suits (at no cost) for our continued traffic impact study. The study is scheduled to resume within the next week. We hope to gather more data now that school is back in session.

I would like to thank Secure Watch 24 for their continued assistance as well as our interns for their hard work.

Chief John M. Ward

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Re: Garber Square Complete Streets Projects

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file photo Boyd Loving

Re: Garber Square Complete Streets Projects

Dear Residents and Businesses,

On Monday, August 25th, work restarted at Garber Square. The center divider has been prepared for the installation of curbs and the center island surface for Belgian block finish.

Following the holiday weekend, the contractor will resume work on Tuesday, September 2nd and work daily from 7:30am to 5:00pm. Eastbound traffic will be closed for this work phase of the project. Alternate routes using Ackerman or W. Glen Avenues are encouraged to avoid traffic delays.

Thank you for your patience. Additional updates will be forthcoming.

Best,
Roberta Sonenfeld
Village Manage

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