Monsey, NY - Residents Concerned About Intersection

Monsey, NY - The whoosh of passing cars, flash of brake lights and occasional screech of tires add up to some residents as a need for a bit of traffic control.
Several of them went to a Ramapo Town Board meeting seeking relief, which for them would be some assurance of safe passage across Saddle River Road.

The area of concern is at Fred Eller Drive, just south of where Saddle River Road intersects with Route 59.
Residents thought the proximity of a girls' school, the kindergarten- through 12th-grade Beth Rochel, added to the need to regulate traffic, they said that children are waiting inordinate amounts of time to cross Route 306, which they saw as an invitation for some to take chances that could have tragic results.
The placement of a traffic light seemed to be the solution, they said. "I'm here by the corner," said Leah Skolnik, "I'm outside with the kids, and I've seen a lot of accidents."
One of those, she said, recently involved a child whose bicycle was grazed by an oncoming car. Luckily, the child was uninjured.
An installation of the light that is sought would make three lights within about a quarter mile. "People don't like lights," Skolnik said. "They say we live in the country, but there are a lot of people here. The population is growing."

Walking on that section of Saddle River Road was also seen as hazardous because of the lack of sidewalks.
A sidewalk on the west side of Saddle River Road, from the corner of Fred Eller Drive to Park Avenue, a distance of about 1,800 feet, could assist residents of several neighborhoods, Skolnik said. "Every year there's more traffic," she said of a locale where Wal-Mart has proposed building a supercenter off Route 59.

It was suggested by some residents, though, that even a simpler step, such as designating a crosswalk with warning signs and flashing lights, could improve the situation.