When we purchased our house on New Bridge Road, we had no idea that it was as though we had attained real estate on something similar to the grounds of the Indy 500.
Each day we hear cars whiz by regardless of the speed limits, or the pedestrians living along the route. It is no wonder to us that parents of small children are petrified to allow their children to play in front of their houses. In actuality, many realize the dangers involved in living on the street and eventually as their children grow from toddler to slightly older, parents find themselves searching for another house, on a more quiet street.
As the congregants of Congregation Beth Abraham gathered for their Rosh Hashanah prayers, we were totally devastated by the accident involving Jo-Ann Hans, a local crossing guard, but no one was particularly surprised. Imagine: she was hit in the presence of a Bergenfield police officer who stood next to his patrol car sharing the corner with her. What would it actually take for cars to slow down?
Those of us who cross at that corner on a weekly or daily basis pray that we will make it across the street alive. It is not enough, as it often happens, that a driver will stop to allow you to cross, when the person behind him decides to be smarter and pass him on the left or right side, putting the pedestrians crossing at the interchange totally in danger. I am not even mentioning here the absurdity of having a crossing sign at the corner of New Bridge and Westminster and expecting that people see it at night. The lighting in the city of Bergenfield is so poor and the sign in particular is so inane that there is no way that it can be seen. A person can stand there for fifteen minutes waiting for the right moment to dart across the street at the crosswalk.
Once again, we call upon the city of Bergenfield to reevaluate their policy of refusing to install a traffic light at this corner. The fact that there is a light at the corner of South Prospect and New Bridge in no way should influence the decision regarding another light. I sincerely hope that we will not have to wait for a death –which many feel is inevitably going to happen before the city takes action (or would they?).
Our efforts at the moment should be to pray for the recovery of Jo-Ann Hans. She is fighting to be alive as I write this article. Our thoughts are with her family. May she be granted a full recovery.
By Nina Glick
