Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Traffic Safety topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Resident urges traffic and construction‑site safety fixes on Summit Avenue; council to study radar signs
Summary
A Pompton Lakes resident told the borough council that drivers repeatedly run the stop sign at the bottom of Summit Avenue, putting children at risk; the council agreed to ask police for targeted enforcement and to study radar‑actuated or flashing signage and improved crosswalk markings.
James Kelly told the Pompton Lakes Borough Council during public comment that vehicles and commercial drivers regularly fail to stop at the stop sign where Summit Avenue meets Parkton Avenue and that many young children walk that route to school. "There's no speed limit sign on Ponton Avenue," Kelly said, adding that weekly horn blasts and near‑misses have become common and that better crosswalk signs or reflective flags could improve pedestrian safety.
The mayor and council members acknowledged the complaint and said they would seek increased enforcement. "We can definitely do something with the — I know exactly what you're talking about," the mayor said, directing the administrator to speak with police about periodic patrols or a daily circuit and to explore a flashing sign at the location.
An urban‑planner councilmember said a targeted safety study is warranted and recommended considering radar‑actuated stop signs rather than continuously flashing signs that could create nuisance activations for nearby residents. Council members also discussed asking the school or teams that practice on the hill to place cones during training runs to give motorists advance warning.
On construction‑site concerns Kelly raised — including missing perimeter signage, exposed rebar, and unattended gas‑powered compressors near a downtown site — council members said OSHA and county requirements govern many safety matters and directed the borough administrator to consult the construction official and borough engineer about whether the borough can require additional contractor safety measures during redevelopment.
The council did not adopt a new policy at the meeting but agreed to follow up with the police department on enforcement, to evaluate signage options at the Summit Avenue intersection, and to return with proposals or a safety‑study recommendation at a future meeting.
