First, I attended the Teaneck Youth Advisory Board Career Night last week, and I want to compliment everyone who was involved in arranging it. The students who ran it did a beautiful job, and I particularly commend the student president, Katelyne, for her efforts. Although I am probably past the point of choosing a career, I learned so much from the panelists, and I know that my children did, too. I hope we will have the opportunity to have other similar events and panel discussions where we can hear from the wonderful people who live here on different topics. We all have so much to learn from each other.
Secondly, I am involved with the Patriotic Observance Advisory Board, and although it’s only February and there is snow on the ground, I am already anticipating the Fourth of July parade (and better weather). Our parade has been a source of pride for our town for many years, and I am very excited to be involved in helping it grow and become even more inclusive and exciting than it already is. Please stay tuned for opportunities for the public to get involved and share ideas so we can celebrate the wonderful country that we all cherish.
Finally, I know that everyone on the council and our wonderful township manager are aware of the tragedy that took place on Palmer Avenue on January 25 of this year. In a reckless driving incident, a young mother lost her life, and a family will never be the same. I know many people have already spoken and asked for traffic calming measures on Palmer Avenue, and I join them in that request. I know there are professionals whom the town can use to engage in traffic studies, and I know that speed bumps are disfavored, but there has to be something that we can do (perhaps the insertion of white stripes onto each side of Palmer Avenue to create the illusion of a narrower street).
This is the second serious accident on Palmer Avenue in recent months, and the footage that I saw of the first one was terrifying. There are many school children whose bus stops are up and down Palmer Avenue, and both accidents have been at 8 o’clock in the morning, a time when many buses pick up. Not only that, people walk their dogs and have a sense of safety on Palmer, since it is not a heavily trafficked area. However, lately it has proven to be lethal.
In fact, I believe it is time for us to turn our attention to the area between DeGraw Avenue and Route Four. Too many cars use it as a speedway between Routes 4 and 80, and I have called the traffic bureau about problems on Queen Anne Road in the past. Councilwoman Goldberg was instrumental in getting stop signs placed in the pedestrian walkway by Vandelinda Avenue that have enhanced pedestrian safety, and I thank her for her involvement in doing that. However, it is not enough. Cars routinely speed through the pedestrian walkways, even when children are trying to cross, and it is only a matter of time before there’s a tragedy on Queen Anne Road as well. I hope that there will be studies conducted in this neighborhood in the coming weeks, and that we as a community will never have to mourn the loss of someone taken too soon in an avoidable incident, such as this one. It is my sincere hope that such a thing will never happen again.
Thank you to the Teaneck Police Department and Department of Public Works for today’s snow removal and for their hard work protecting our Teaneck community. Good night, and thank you again.
