Parking Woes - Part 2

At the Board of Trustees Meeting last night, the attempt to tackle parking issues continued. However, once again, I think that the cart is being put before the horse by trying to ban parking BEFORE additional parking for resident commuters is created. An ordinance was brought on First Reading (and passed by a vote of 4-2) which will limit parking to 2 hours between 8am and noon on both sides of the following streets:

Beech Spring Road From the intersection of North Ridgewood Road to a point 1100 feet west of the intersection.
Conway Court Entire Length
Edgewood Terrace Entire Length
Highland Road From the intersection of North Ridgewood Road to a point 785 feet west of the intersection.
Kingsland Court Entire Length
Kingsland Terrace Entire Length
Montague Place From Prospect Street to Tichenor Avenue
Raymond Avenue From Vose Avenue to Raymond Court
Redmond Road From the intersection of North Ridgewood Road to a point 475 feet west of the intersection.
Stewart Place From Vose Ave to train tracks
Tillou Road (North side) From a point 458 feet west of the intersection of North Ridgewood Road to a point 715 feet west there from.
Tillou Road (South side) From a point 485 feet west of the intersection of North Ridgewood Road to a point 715 feet west there from.
Village Road From Prospect Street to Tichenor Avenue
Walton Avenue From Edgewood Terrace to Ridgewood Road South

In effect, this ordinance will prohibit commuter parking on all residential streets within 3/8 mile of the South Orange Train Station.

I totally understand the desire of residents living on these streets who do not want commuters parked in front of their home all day. On the other hand, there are an enormous number of residents who NEED to get to work via the train and who do not live in walking distance of the station and for whom the jitney schedule is not practical.

As we saw when commuter parking was prohibited on Meadowbrook Lane, this type of broad prohibition simply pushes cars elsewhere to other streets, simply shifting the problem rather than solving it. I think a more comprehensive solution is needed BEFORE we prohibit parking. As Village President Newman discussed last night, there are numerous approaches underway:

1) Identify all streets within walking distance of the train station and allow resident street permit parking where there are no homes. Several months ago, Village President Newman, Trustee Rosner and I made such a walk and identified close to 200 parking spaces that could be made available immediately. We are now awaiting the Village Engineer's review of these streets. Once that occurs, and relevant ordinance are passed, resident commuter parking permits can be sold for these spaces.

2) Review the jitney schedule & route to see if more commuters can be accommodated. The jitney is a great resource. However for people who go into work very early or come home very late, the jitney is often not practical. We need to make sure the jitney is reliable and convenient for it to be more successful.

3) Continue to reach out to private entities to see if additional resident commuter parking can be identified. The Parking Authority has recently secured 25 spaces in the Our Lady of Sorrows parking lot (which is within walking distance of S.O Train Station) and 25 spaces in Temple Sharey Tefilo Israel parking lot (which is within walking distance of Mountain Station)

4) Review the Commuter Parking waiting list. Currently, there are approximately 700 people on the waiting list for South Orange commuter parking permits parking. However, when letters were recently sent to the oldest names on the list offering them permits, only approximately 1/3 responded positively, suggesting that a significant portion of the list is out of date with people who have moved away or no longer desire parking permits.

Finally, as I have stated in an earlier blog, the Parking Authority should review the current rates for commuter parking and consider raising the rates to help fund the jitney and to further reduce demand and the size of the waiting list.

I think if all of these solutions are pursued, we can make a real dent in the size of the commuter parking waiting list. Once we have made a real concerted effort to accomplish the above, then would it first be appropriate to proceed with the prohibition on parking now on the table. Since the steps above will take some time, we should suspend the prohibition on parking on Meadowbrook Lane for the Winter Months when there is limited recreational activity so we can do this right.

In the meantime, if you commute to New York via the train and require parking, if you do not already have a permit, be sure you are on the waiting list for a parking permit! If not, call the Parking Authority at 973-378-7715 x2037.

In the meantime, there will be a Public Hearing on Nov 24 on the proposed ordinance to ban commuter parking on the streets above. Come to Village Hall and let us know YOUR thoughts.

Living in the Future

In August, we awarded a contract to the Cecil Group of Boston to create a Downtown Visioning Plan to determine how our three business districts (South Orange Ave, Valley St, Irvington Ave) should evolve over the next 20 years. The selection process to choose the firm was undertaken by the Development Committee earlier this year and was quite extensive.

I know people have some fundamental questions:

1. How much will this cost?

The contract awarded is not to exceed $225,000

2. What is a Vision Plan?

This plan will focus on

• Land Use and Zoning Guidelines - zoning for specific future uses will be developed based on existing land uses.Key sites and alternative land uses will be identified.
• Design Vision – improvements will be identified for road access and parking,streetscape,and key public spaces such as parks and major buildings.
• Market Study – planners will assess demographics in South Orange and surrounding areas,historic and economic trends,as well as the existing and potential retail market.
• Traffic and Parking Study - current use and conditions will be compared with demand.

3. Didn't we just do a Vision Plan?

The last Vision Plan was done by the Atlantic Group back in 1994, prior to the arrival of Midtown Direct, which dramtically changed many facets of our town.

4. How do I provide input to the plan?

There will be 4 public meetings and workshops to provide residents, business and property owners, and other stakeholders a unique opportunity to get involved in planning from the ground up. The schedule so far is as follows:

Thursday, October 30th, 7:30 – 9:00 pm in the South Orange Middle School
Tuesday, December 2nd, 7:30 – 9:00 pm in the SOPAC Loft

For this process to be most successful, it is imperative that you come out to share your ideas and provide your input. Remember: IT TAKES OUR VILLAGE: Creating a community vision for South Orange

Cycling Stephanie!

There are certain memorable milestones as a parent that put you in such awe of your child as they develop. Today was one of those days as my 6 year old daughter, Stephanie, finally learned to ride a 2-wheeler on her own today. We had taken the training wheels off earlier this year and have been trying for a while to get her to learn to ride on her own, without much luck. Today, we went down to the new River Bikeway in South Orange and something finally clicked and she "got it"! By the end, she even managed to ride back and forth the length of the walkway without stopping or falling. I almost get the sense that I was more excited about this milestone than she was, but I am just so proud of her and so looking forward to being able to take family bike rides together. Now, hopefully the weather will stay nice for a while longer, before Winter sets in!

Slaughterhouse Why

At the Sept 22 BOT Meeting, County Executive DiVincenzo presented his plan to continue killing deer in South Mountain Reservation this Winter. Last year 213 deer were killed at taxpayer expense in the Reservation. In addition, the County admitted an additional 5 deer were shot and "not recovered", but left to suffer.

I have heard from at least one resident who witnessed the horror of a deer so badly wounded that one of his limbs was dangling from his body and it was bleeding profusely. At the meeting on Monday, I urged Mr. DiVincenzo to stop this senseless suffering and explore non-lethal means of controlling the deer population. Doing some very quick research online, I learned of some very successful programs for immunocontraception to control deer fertility that have been proven effective.

Immunocontraception is a very effective and inexpensive form of contraception that is delivered remotely by dart, which prevents fertilization. One of the most successful methods I found is a vaccine called PZP which has been used successfully in Connecticut, Maryland, NJ, NY, Ohio , VA and Washington. Two of the largest studies were performed on Fire Island, NY in conjunction with the Humane Society and National Park Service, as well as a study in Gaithersburg, MD where the birth rate for deer was cut by 72 percent with PZP.

In addition to the moral injustice of killing the deer, there is the financial objection that, according to the Star Ledger, the deer slaughter last year cost the taxpayers $60,000 for the killing of 213 deer. That works out to a cost of almost $300/deer. The implementation of an immunocontraception program is estimated to cost only around $60/deer according to some studies. Also, if done properly, an immunocontraception does not need to be done indefinitely each year, as with a hunt. Some studies have shown immunocontraception vaccines to still be effective as much as 5 years after injection.

Finally, if moral or financial reasons aren’t enough, there is the fact that hunting simply does not work as a sustainable solution to reduce or even control the deer population due to the principal of reproductive rebound. According to many documented studies, deer conceive multiple embryos, but the number of fawns born is directly related to nutrition and herd density. When herd density is temporarily reduced through hunting, there is reduced competition for food and the number of twins and triplets born actually increases. One study even showed that after a hunt, surviving females produced enough offspring to not only replace those killed, but enough to actually INCREASE the size of the herd. This is reproductive rebound.

So, for moral reasons, financial reasons and the practical reason that hunting is an archaic, barbaric and ineffective method, I urge the County to explore immunocontraception and other non-lethal means of controlling the deer population. Together, we have the opportunity to show leadership to our community with a forward thinking and progressive model which we can be proud of and which teaches our children that killing is not the answer. For the sake of the taxpayers and the deer, I hope real leadership can finally be shown.

STOP in the name of...

Public Safety! Lately, there has been some commentary about the new Stop Sign erecetd at the intersection of Redmond Rd and Harding Drive. I thought it would be worthwhile to share some background on process that was followed to install this stop sign and the justification for this sign.

Earlier this year, a couple residents who live at the intersection approached me (as the chair of the Public Safety Committee) about their concerns about this dangerous intersection which was completely uncontrolled. I took a look firsthand and agreed to place the item on the agenda for discussion at the next regular Public Safety Committee. The residents attended the meeting and explained their concerns. The Police Chief validated there had been 3 accidents at the intersection and the Committee unanimously agreed to recommend the Stop Sign to the full Board of Trustees. The Stop Sign was discussed at our next Conference Agenda meeting and the recommendation was made to create an Ordinance establishing a Stop Sign at the intersection. At two subsequent meetings, the BOT voted to approve the Stop Sign and no residents came to the meetings to speak against (or for) the sign. (However, residents in the homes surrounding the intersection were informed of the Public Hearing and the proposed Stop Sign by leaflets delivered to their homes).

Since the Stop sign has been installed, some people have actually complained about it. However, I find this quite surprising for a number of reasons:

1. If you travel West (up the hill) on Redmond Rd and want to make a left turn onto Harding Drive, you logically MUST stop in order to confirm there is no cross traffic on Redmond Rd. However, someone traveling through that intersection who is not familiar with the area might not realize that and could easily blow through the uncontrolled intersection. Installing a Stop sign there is logical and simply communicates to people that the North-South cross traffic has the right of way. (which is consistent with the rest of Harding Dr, as well as Mayhew Drive which runs parallel)
2. Placing a Stop sign at the westbound intersection with Harding Dr, is simply consistent with all other streets that intersect with it (Tillou, Twin Oak and Overhill).
3. Some people have actually complained that stopping "uphill" in dangerous, however, nobody has ever expressed that concern about all the numerous other "uphill" stop signs which already exist throughout the neighborhood. In addition, certainly, anyone who has ever been to a place like San Francisco is quite aware of significantly steeper streets with Stop signs (or traffic lights) on "hills".

As with ANY issue, there are always multiple viewpoints and perspectives. However, with this specific issue, I think that adding control to a blind uncontrolled intersection is a small price to pay and the right thing to do to prevent a potential collision and for the sake of Public Safety. I certainly welcome suggestions on other uncontrolled intersections in the Village that should be looked at similarly.

Goin' Cali

My wife, daughter & I recently returned from a very nice Summer vacation to Southern California. We flew into Orange County and stayed at the beautiful Hyatt Huntington Beach. The hotel is located right across the street from the beach and we even had a great oceanview from our room.

We spent our first day just relaxing by the pool and walking long the beach and into the town of Huntington Beach to watch the surfers. For our next day, we were up early (our bodies still on East Coast time) and got to Disneyland before it even opened. When the park finally did open, they corral everyone on Main Street until the "official" opening time and from there it's literally a sprint to the first ride to take advantage of the short lines. We had a great time & managed to cover the entire park in a day (thanks to Fastpass!). We had been to DisneyWorld many times and found Disneyland to be quite comparable with a few minor differences (Disneyland has the Matterhorn Bobsleds and Indiana Jones ride, plus Cinderella castle is MUCH smaller). Otherwise it is classic Disney, including the expensive food, screaming babies and complete exhaustion you feel at the end of the day!

Our next day, we travelled up to Los Angeles and explored around Hollywood, Beverly Hills and the infamous Rodeo Drive. We ended the day out in Santa Monica to explore the infamous pier and Third St Promenade.

The next day, we travelled down to Carlsbad, CA to enjoy Legoland. I wasn't sure what to expect with this part as I had read mixed reviews, but it turned out to be alot of fun a great place for my six-year old daughter where she even got to go on a roller coaster for the very first time - and loved it!

The following day was back to "Disney" by starting the day at California Adventure, a Disney park which is directly across the plaza from Disneyland. We had also heard mixed reviews of the park, but all in all we enjoyed it. It seems to be a slight hybrid of Epcot & Disney/MGM in Florida, with rides like Soarin' and Tower of Terror, in addition to some other more standard amusement park rides. However, the highlight of the park was "Toy Story Mania", which just opened this year in both CA & FL. It's very similar concept to the "Buzz Lightyear" ride at Disney, but here you play numerous virtual arcade games as you go through the ride wearing 3-D glasses. The technology & effects were very cool!

Our last day was spent back at the hotel, relaxing by the pool and enjoying the California sun before flying back to NJ and getting back to reality of work and school. Now, the job begins of identifying and planning for our next Summer destination!

Go Joe Go!

We woke up this morning to confirmation that Barack Obama has chosen Joe Biden as his runningmate. This is a GREAT choice! It had been rumored for a few days that this was coming and I am very excited to see it become a reality. I have always thought that Joe Biden was a very intelligent and thoughtful person who has alot of interesting ideas. I've always been surprised that his previous Presidential campaigns went no where, so I am glad that he is finally getting the recognition he deserves. Great choice!