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Residents oppose proposed one‑way plan near Richfield mosque; council agrees to town‑hall
Summary
Scores of residents urged the council to reject a proposed patchwork of one‑way streets in the Richfield neighborhood, citing safety, survey irregularities and impacts on residents with disabilities; council members voted to hold a dedicated town‑hall meeting to compile traffic data and hear neighbors.
A prolonged and often heated public‑comment period at Clifton’s council meeting focused on a proposed one‑way traffic plan for the Richfield neighborhood, which residents said responds to overflow parking and congestion near a large place of worship but would worsen safety and access for neighbors.
Dozens of neighbors, including Robert Mariello and Nancy Foster, told the council the one‑way maps were confusing, that some households received multiple or no mailed surveys, and that the proposal could force people with disabilities to cross streets the city’s curb‑to‑curb IEP transport currently avoids. Dawn Buzzy and others detailed how the proposed circulation would force residents into busier corridors and add length to routine trips, especially during mosque services. Several speakers urged permit parking for interior side streets as an alternative.
Council members said they heard the residents’ concerns and moved to suspend the regular agenda to schedule a dedicated public meeting (town‑hall) to review the traffic study, corrected survey data and possible mitigation options with police traffic experts and the full council. Some councilors cautioned that police and administration reports must be available before a formal decision so that technical data (traffic counts, staged event timing, and corrected survey results) could be presented.
The meeting also included a contentious exchange when a public speaker used the phrase "from the river to the sea," prompting another attendee and at least one council member to characterize it as hate speech; remote commenters defended the phrase as political speech. The mayor warned that repeating a phrase that members called hate speech could lead to removal.
Council did not adopt permanent one‑way changes at the session; instead members committed to a focused public forum with subject‑matter experts and a clearer timetable for follow‑up. Residents pressed the council to publish the police department memo and corrected survey methodology online ahead of that session.
