The Alternative Press

SOUTH ORANGE, NJ – The Transportation Advisory Board’s support of the installation of a traffic light at Scotland Road and Raymond Avenue met with both criticism and praise at a recent Board of Trustees meeting.

Scotland Road is an Essex County roadway, and the county has proposed putting a traffic light at the intersection to improve pedestrian safety and control speeding. The county often takes into account the opinion of municipalities when making such decisions.

Scotland Road residents who spoke at the board meeting on Jan. 28 all agreed the intersection is a problem, but they disagreed that a traffic light is the best way to handle the problem.

Homeowners who live near the intersection said they fear traffic backups and the impact of a light on property values.

“My driveway would be impacted … by a traffic light on that corner,” Butch Robinson, 265 Scotland Road, said. He noted his driveway is about 150 feet from the intersection.

Dana Lowe, 72 Raymond Ave., said, “Obviously there is a risk for decreased property value where the light is going to be right in front of our property.”

Residents who support a traffic light say other measures will not be effective.

“Although we will be impacted … we’re going to support the traffic light,” said John Sammaro, 179 Scotland Road. “Without a traffic light, there is no safe crossing of the road.”

The trustees tabled the resolution supporting installation of the traffic light after Trustee Mark Rosner said he still had some questions. Trustees Deborah Davis Ford and Howard Levison urged action at the next meeting.

“We have gone through due diligence for an extended period of time,” Levison said. “I think we do have a speeding issue along the street, (and a traffic light) is the only solution that we currently have.”

In other business, the board:

• reduced the number of village holidays by three, eliminating Lincoln’s Birthday, Columbus Day and Election Day. Village Hall will now be open on those days.
   
• heard from parents whose children attend day care at the Baird Center who are concerned about the proposed relocation of the Parking Authority across the hall. Torpey said the board will re-examine the decision, but he noted that the location would not collect parking fines. “There are no angry people going in there to pay tickets,” he said.
   
• approved change orders to increase contract payments for three projects. They added $18,351 for the Fairview Avenue reconstruction project, $4,250 for Crest Drive auxiliary firehouse improvements and $11,463.16 for the 2012 curb and sidewalk program.
   
• approved the following Parking Authority appointments: Susan Severance and Akhtar Akhtaruzzaman were reappointed, and Ross Field was appointed.