A weekly roundup of good deeds, missteps, heroic feats and epic failures in Tri-State transportation news.
Winners
Hackensack, New Jersey – Billy Joel doesn’t know what he’s talking about. Who needs a house out in Hackensack when you can have a brand new downtown apartment instead? Hackensack’s City Council unanimously approved a plan that would change zoning to allow higher-density mixed-use development on a section of State Street that is currently dominated by vacant buildings and gravel lots. The plan is a key component in the revitalization of downtown Hackensack and sits within walking distance of two NJ Transit stations.
Bristol, Connecticut – City Councilors in Bristol voted to preserve space for a future mixed-use path along the Pequabuck River behind a vacant school property. When the property is eventually sold, an easement will be included that gives the City a 25-foot right-of-way along the water’s edge.
Losers
New Jersey pedestrians – It’s been a rough start to 2013 for pedestrian safety in New Jersey. Drivers have killed people walking in the Townships of Randolph, Washington, and on Route 130 (one of New Jersey’s Most Dangerous Roads) in North Brunswick. And since January 1, three pedestrians were also injured in Gloucester Township.
Upper East Side NIMBYs – Some Upper East Side residents are speaking out — and even threatening to circulate a petition — against NYC Department of Transportation plans that could bring audible pedestrian crossing signals to a handful of busy intersections in the neighborhood.
Have the proponents of this, including those in TSTC checked living as near to the signals as those who are opposing the signals do.While I understand the reason for them, the urban environment is already noisy and if the signals have to be louder than current basckground noise, they could be real noise pollution for those living near them.
The only experience I have with this type of signal is in Linden, NJ. I wind up walking the main drag downtown once every couple of months. They never seem to be working. Half the time more than one speaker at each intersection isn’t functioning properly. Even when they’re working, they’re so close together (the blocks are short) I can’t imagine how anyone can distinguish the chirps from the speaker across the street from the ones a block down. Every time I walk down that street, I’m thankfull that I personally don’t need to depend on them – I think they’d only make me more confused if I tried to use them to decide if it was safe to cross. And I’m mightily glad I don’t live within earshot.