Council Gets an Earful About Traffic

Traffic and traffic lights was the topic du jour on Tuesday, including several residents around Central Avenue and Clover Street about a newly installed traffic light and crosswalk.

One woman spoke for more than a half an hour about the light making it difficult to get out of her driveway, the dangerous conditions for children crossing Central Avenue there, and how the development devalued her property.

Another neighbor also angrily questioned the Council how the decision was made.

Councilman Mark Ciarrocca said residents had been notified of all the traffic hot spots and putting that light in was a consensus reached after meetings attended by hundreds of people. Residents in the audience said they were not told about those meetings.

The decision to place the traffic light is part of the county and town's work in the Central Avenue corridor, which includes providing another crossing for school children heading from the Manor Park neighborhood to Jefferson School. The plan includes placing two cul de sacs on side streets along Central Avenue as well.

Parents also returned to ask the council to reconsider putting a crossing guard back at the corner of Central Avenue and Sycamore Street. A group of parents spoke to the Council during last Tuesday's meeting to petition the Council to restore the crossing guard.

The decisions of what crossing guards to cut during budget discussions "were made with the utmost care," said Councilwoman Joann Neylan said. "Nothing is written in stone."

The public safety committee is meeting in a  couple weeks and will revisit the crossing guard decisions she said.

Also, a resident of St. Marks Avenue complained about an unaddressed lack of visibility at the corner of Benson Place.

Mayor Andy Skibitsky said the town has been focusing on the worst intersections, but that a problem that could be solved by better signs and clearing visibility could be looked into.