The Alternative Press

To the Editor:

On January 18th, I placed an OPRA (Open Public Records Act) request with Livingston as follows:

“Traffic accident summary report by month of accidents, 1/1/1995 to date, involving injuries or death on South Orange Avenue east of JFK Pkwy. to eastern end of Livingston jurisdiction.

Detailed reports of accidents involving death over the same period.”

The interest which prompted my OPRA request was the proposed TMB project at 650 South Orange Avenue.

The law requires response within 7 business days.  On **February 7th** I received a response which included fatalities reports between 8/30/95 & 4/28/03 and traffic accident reports between 11/18/08 and 1/21/12.

These reports clearly covered only small portions of the time periods I wanted, but they are significant in themselves.

In particular, 6 of the 8 accidents involving fatalities occurred at or very near the proposed TMB development and 5 involved eastbound vehicles. (See attached summary page.)

Also, 57 of the 350+ traffic accidents reported on the 22 page report (attached) were clearly identified as associated with the SO Ave./Hobart Av. crossing or with the area shown in the fatalities reports. The traffic accident reports cover SO Ave from the Florham Park line eastward.

It is not clear how a large number of accidents with reported locations of “S ORANGE AVE, LIVINGSTON NJ 07039” were distributed.

It is clear that, since the end of 2008, reportable vehicle accidents on SO Ave have occurred at a rate of about 110 per year, more than 2 per week.

Approval of the TMB project was based in part on formulaic studies of traffic densities and the like for the project area. The studies DO NOT take into account peripheral items like an increased probability of death or injury compared to roads with equivalent traffic density.

South Orange Avenue is a major East-West arterial. It is the only undivided 50 mph road in Livingston or Millburn. Drivers stare into the sun during AM & PM rush hours. The road is a continuing disaster even without a major apartment complex abutting the eastbound lane.

Leonard Rubin