Madison Residents Petition for Safety-Related Changes to Central Avenue

At the corner of Central and Fairview avenues, there’s a crosswalk -- but a driver might not know it until they reach the top of the incline. The speed limit on Central is 35 mph, and that “invisible” crosswalk is located right at the intersection of two schools, a senior home and a daycare center. There is no sign that it’s there and no crossing guard to direct traffic.

It sounds like a recipe for disaster for some Madison residents, which inspired them to band together to petition Mayor Robert Conley, County Freeholder Director Thomas Mastrangelo and County Administrator John Bonanni to make some serious changes.

At the forefront of this initiative are five organizers -- Jennifer Groller, Grace Kim, Christine Sherman, Ciagle Dikaioulia and Jessica Van Tassell -- who all believe that the uptick in traffic on Central in recent years combined with its speed issue creates a threat to the community. So far, 208 residents who have signed the petition agree.

“The fact that cars are barreling down when children or other pedestrians are present on the roadway is simply hair-raising,” said Ray Lauletti, a long time resident of Central Avenue.

Students from Central Avenue School and Madison High School use the crosswalk heavily during weekdays while the surrounding streets do not have sidewalks and a lone flashing light near the crosswalk goes unnoticed by drivers, the petition says.

Organizers have included the following demands in the petition:

• Lowering of the speed limit on Central Avenue from 35 mph to 25 mph
• Enforcement of the speed limit on Central Avenue and side streets
• Addition of pedestrian signs and crosswalks
• Posting of a crossing guard on the corner of Central Ave. and Fairview Ave.

For more information on getting involved, interested persons may contact Jennifer Groller at 973-879-1803, Grace Kim at 415-596-2351 or Christine Sherman at 973-514-1947.