Petition Making the Rounds to Stop Work on Underpass Lane Closures

Petition Making the Rounds to Stop Work on Underpass Lane Closures

Reader says this is circulating… decide for yourself

I just signed the petition “Ridgewood, NJ Village Council: Stop Work on Underpass Lane Closures until a Comprehensive Traffic Study is Done and Resident Input is Heard” on Change.org.

It’s important. Will you sign it too? Here’s the link:

https://www.change.org/petitions/ridgewood-nj-village-council-stop-work-on-underpass-lane-closures-until-a-comprehensive-traffic-study-is-done-and-resident-input-is-heard?recruiter=99797500&utm_campaign=signature_receipt&utm_medium=email&utm_source=share_petition


Petitioning Ridgewood, NJ Village Council

Stop Work on Underpass Lane Closures until a Comprehensive Traffic Study is Done and Resident Input is Heard


Petition by

Ridge Woodian

Ridgewood, NJ

Ridgewood passed and is implementing a plan to remove two lanes of traffic at the Franklin Ave underpass.  No one was given advance notice, no public input was sought, no comprehensive traffic study was done and the plan is very flawed with serious potential safety and traffic consequences.

This area is already a known bottleneck and removing lanes stands to:

1. Create major traffic backups on Godwin, West Ridgewood, Franklin Aves and Broad Street;

2. Cause drivers to divert onto residential side streets, filled with kids, to avoid the underpass.  They are already diverting onto Doremus, Ackerman, Heights & Crest;

3. Hurt downtown businesses, by pushing West Side residents to shop in Midland Park instead of Ridgewood to avoid the underpass traffic;

4. Plus, the plans include an ill-conceived bike lane, which is also to be used by Emergency Vehicles (Police, Ambulances and Fire) to bypass the single-lane traffic.  This is a blind curve and children riding here will be hit!  Drivers entering the plan’s very limited turn lanes will also have to cross this bike lane.  It makes no sense, yet the Village is going ahead with this dangerous plan.

Village Residents want the Council to stop work until a comprehensive traffic study is done (ASAP!) and input from Residents is heard.  While we support changes that improve traffic and safety, this one does neither and has the potential to make both situations worse.

Even though work has started, we believe there is still time for the Village to modify the ill-conceived parts of the plan.  They can narrow the proposed median in order to maintain 2 lanes of vehicle traffic each way, while elimating the unecessary, death-trap bike lane.  They can still proceed with certain desirable elements of the plan, like the sidewalk bump out to narrow the crosswalk on Broad Street, etc.

Ridgewood must not proceed with the flawed plan. The risks of completing the project as-is far outweigh the benefits.  

To:
Ridgewood, NJ Village Council
Stop Work on Underpass Lane Closures until a Comprehensive Traffic Study is Done and Resident Input is Heard

Sincerely,
[Your name]