Charles DiMarco, chairman of Ridgewood Citizens’ Safety Advisory Committee, outlined at last week’s Planning Board meeting proposed changes to future village parking lots to improve pedestrian safety. The presentation was a continuation of the Planning Board’s reexamination of the village’s master plan.
DiMarco said that parking lots can be dangerous to pedestrians walking through them, and that he hopes the village can reduce the risk of pedestrian-vehicle accidents by inserting special places for walkers to move through the lots safely.
“The committee plans to include pedestrian corridors to connect parking lot aisles to facilities,” he said. “The pedestrian corridors would furnish a walkway from the main areas of the parking lot to the main entrance or focal point of the development and thereby reduce the interaction between pedestrians and vehicles in the parking lot.”
He said that these proposed corridors “would also make it easier to walk down the aisle between parked cars” because of additional room and that they “would basically direct pedestrians to a defined location: a safer and clearer crosswalk.”
An example of a parking lot that fits DiMarco’s criteria is the one outside of the library and municipal building.
https://www.northjersey.com/community-news/town-government/pedestrian-corridors-proposed-1.1480208
We need to inform people to look both ways be for walking right into the road. some I see do. most do not. And some walk out from between cars and we can not see them. How do they think we can stop a car in 10 feet, And for n j bus,s , they need to slow down on the main av ,just may be we need to have a lower speed in the down town like 15 or 20 mph will help. or speed humps, these things may help,
Who is expected to pay for this…? More Patterned imprinted walkways..
That cars continue to race over in the a Evenings and dark winter afternoons and evenings,..more false assurances that drivers will yield
Which in a Ridgewood seems to be rare and a sign that drivers can slow down and stop texting or applying makeup at AT 50 MPH..Many with
Kids in the Cars.Men are even Worse at Yeilding.
I have a plan , shut down the main av .
Good to know that whatever the issue, from Valley’s expansion wish list to walking through parking lots, our so-called planner concludes that the devil is the details. PLEASE FIRE HIM.
9.51. NAILED IT
The CSAC is absolutely right when it identifies parking lots as dangerous places and anything that makes them a little safer would be a welcome change. There is obviously be a cost associated with that plan – how much would parking lot re-striping cost? This is where the devil really IS in the details. As an example, how much change could there be in even one parking lot for the amount that was just spent on that electronic sign at the train station? There are ways to scrimp and save when something is really important.
Additionally, we can’t expect the police department to be everywhere all the time. It seems unrealistic to think they can provide full traffic safety coverage in the CBD all the time. An increased police presence would definitely be an effective deterrent and make people less likely to drive like maniacs, but in the meantime we must figure out some other ways to protect ourselves. Can’t we have (some version of) crossing guards in the most dangerous intersections at the most dangerous times of day? Crossing guards are not full-time and not paid much but, for the most part, drivers do yield to their directions. Reasonable hourly pay and no benefits makes it at least something to consider in the short term – until we figure out another way.
I think most of us appreciate Ridgewood for its relative safety, i.e. low crime rate. We have a town in which it’s actually possible to allow our kids to go downtown alone and walk around – in many ways a really nice throwback to an earlier era. However, even though we have that luxury, we have to worry that they will be killed by a car if we let them go. It’s sad and a waste of the police dept’s efforts to keep it a safe place.
“Ridgewood safety committee proposes new signs that state ” don’t be a fuc&$: moron” in parking lots”. $375,000.00 will be spent this fiscal year on new warning signs in municipal lots because residents are to stupid and or entitled to walk through our parking facilities without getting run over. This reporter asked Vinny ” I’m gonna get the papers, the papers”
Pascatore what he thought about the new signs and he simply said ” what the F&$@ day gonna do dat 4″? More at 11
The pd has dwindled from 52 to 36 this significantly reduces their presence . Not a good thing
I guess the town has moved onto the parking Lots since the streets have become the Wild West..meanwhile the utility companies suck up PD Assets ie
Police Cars and manning ( even tho town gets per diem ) just to dig a Hole. Major construction diversions well understood.is safer to be a PSEG LINEMAN or sandhog than A pedestrian in Ridgewood. parking lots
Are background risk compared to our other real challenges.town center is way too Dark in winter evenings And better lighting might save a life,
The pd has dwindled from 52 to 36 this significantly reduces their presence . Not a good thing.
The PD hasn’t had 52 employees since the 1970s. So what’s your point 7:02 AM?
The pd has 52 employees in the early 1980s which allowed foot patrol in the cbd as the #’s dwindle so does presence anyway you look at it it’s not a good thing