Borough of Mountain Lakes

Traffic and Safety Committee Meeting

Feb 13, 2007

 

Present:  Jim Bailey (chair), Lauren Brickner-McDonald, Joe Kuchinski, Phillip Rosenthall, Jeana Macleod, Sarina Grodofsky, Louise Davis, Gary Webb, Chief Bob Tovo

 

Meeting called to order at 5:10pm

 

Minutes from January 16, 2007 meeting approved.

 

Phillip Rosenthall agreed to put the minutes from these meetings on the Borough web site.

 

Jim Bailey asked us to think about adding new members, possibly from the Lake Arrowhead section of town.

 

The committee will meet on the 3rd Tuesday of the month at 5:00pm at Borough Hall.  It will be decided later if we will meet over the summer months.

 

Louise Davis discussed the Borough Council’s expectations of the Pedestrian
Safety Committee.  The purpose is to get people thinking about pedestrian safety in our community.  It is a place where residents can bring up traffic and safety concerns.

 

Gary Webb discussed the budget.  Currently, the Borough Council is discussing the budget.  In the budget there is $5,000.00 allocated for street signs.  Gary mentioned that the town has applied for a grant from the Department of Transportation for sidewalks on Powerville Rd and for resurfacing of other sidewalks.  Chief Tovo applied for a grant for sidewalks on Powerville Rd from the Highway Traffic and Safety Commission.

 

Jim Bailey discussed the pedestrian counts that the committee did on Powerville Rd. this fall. There was an average of 12-13 pedestrians for 10 different counts.  There was discussion among committee members that the counts may be higher if there was a sidewalk.  The high school is the only school in town without an approaching sidewalk.

 

Chief Tovo discussed the vehicle counts around the high school.  Preliminary data show that there is less than half the traffic on Beechway since the traffic pattern has changed going into and out of the high school, but traffic on Powerville Rd has increased.  The majority of traffic is before and after school.  The preliminary data also suggests that the vehicles are not speeding. Chief Tovo will get back to the committee when all the data is in.

 

Some discussion took place regarding use of traffic calming measures on Powerville Rd.  These included:  a possible speed hump on Powerville if we are unable to get sidewalks, a mid-block stop sign (would need county approval), a mid-block stop sign and crosswalk at Melrose, and flashing lights.  Constraints to these measures are cost and aestetics.  Chief is to inquire about possibility of a stop sign.  We will wait to hear the results of the sidewalk grants.

 

Gary discussed the Pocono/Crane issue that Allison Decker brought to the attention of the committee.  There is the possibility to increase speed if the corner is cut.  Chief put a 25 mile/hr sign in the center of the road to help control speed.  A 4-way stop is probably not an option due to the traffic back-up on Rte 46.  The committee discussed an island in the middle of Crane Rd and Pocono Rd as a measure to decrease speed.  A rubberized island would be less costly.  Chief Tovo said he would look into getting a rubberized island for demonstration.

 

Oil trucks cannot make a right off Crane Rd and they cannot go from Dixon Rd to Rte 46.  Boonton Township is using Dixon to fuel fire trucks, but they are staying within the speed limit.  Gary will do a little more research on this.

 

No parking near the high school was developed so that any excess high school parking would not spill onto the residential streets near the school.  There is an ordinance in place but no signs had been placed.  Now, there needs to be signage.  Chief Tovo has a requisition to have the DPW remove all the mid-block “no parking” signs.  There will be the minimal amount of signs necessary and as many as possible will be relocated to borough property.  When the weather is appropriate, excess signs will be removed.  At the next meeting we will review the ordinance and review the minimum number of “no parking” signs needed.

 

Meeting adjourned at 6:20pm