Agree whole-heartedly with Ms. Aktar’s observation. Like many local residents I have negotiated that hill in both directions having lived in Ridgewood since 1950 and having had a driver’s license since 1959. It has been only in recent years that I have observed on too many occasions trucks attempting the ascent and creating a hazard by blocking the tracks and/or the passage of other vehicles. Some commercial vehicles, particularly landscape contracting vehicles with trailers, manage it but not without risk.
It’s a fair assumption that the widespread use of GPS devices are indeed the source of the problem, particularly in the case of those drivers unfamiliar with the area who get the impression that there is a more direct route to their destination. One would think that the NJDOT would have a more imaginative solution to the problem than those suggested. More emphatic signage on the Ho-Ho-Kus side of the tracks demonstrating the steep and tortuous nature of the roadway would be a start. Even a low clearance sign – albeit fictional – or even a height barrier at the foot of the hill would suffice to discourage truck traffic of a size unable to start up the hill.
