Monsey, NY - Roadway, Once Rural, Now Crowded

Monsey, NY - One would think that living less than 5 miles from your job would be every commuter's dream.

Audrey Goldman's morning drive to her job at an orthodontist's office in Airmont is anything but. That's because on most mornings after she leaves her condominium in the Blueberry Hills complex she finds herself stuck behind a school bus picking up children along the often-congested Route 306. It turns what should be an 8-minute commute into a 30-minute trip.

"It's a dangerous and frustrating circumstance," said Goldman, who has lived in the area for 30 years. "It was supposed to be a residential area but now it's becoming anything but."

Portions of Route 306, a narrow two-lane road that runs through parts of Ramapo and the village of Kaser, was once home to a stretch of single-family homes, but recent zone changes have allowed the development of multifamily residences.
Residents like Goldman have become increasingly concerned about the traffic and safety issues in the area, with a 142-unit development nearing completion and another 160-unit complex on the horizon. In 2001, Kaser tore down 15 bungalows on Route 306 near the corner of Maple Avenue, but village officials say any development there is still in the planning stage.

The state Department of Transportation, which maintains Route 306, estimates that more than 21,000 vehicles travel daily in both directions on the two-lane road.

With the exception of parts of the road in Kaser, a lack of sidewalks poses a threat to many in the area — mostly Orthodox Jews, whose population has grown in the area over the years — who walk instead of drive.
The combination of pedestrians and drivers sharing the same road can be dangerous.

In the past three months, four people have been seriously injured crossing Route 306.

"Traffic is not just a development problem. Our developments have less traffic," said Kaser Deputy Mayor Shlomo Koenig. "Women and children here don't drive. We don't have a one-family house with five cars like in Monsey. We don't have that. Having said that, we know there is a problem."

Koenig, who lives on the corner of Route 306 and Phyllis Terrace, said the village was looking into placing crosswalks and crossing lights on Route 306 to increase pedestrian safety. "We're definitely looking into that problem," Koenig said.