Focus on Passaic County Intersection Safety after Pedestrian Accident
An intersection in Little Falls in Passaic County is generating a lot of attention because of the high numbers of auto accidents that have occurred here in recent years. Over the past 7 years, there have been 46 accidents at the Clove Road intersection, including a recent one in which a pedestrian was hit by a car and severely injured. In fact, that accident has already resulted in a personal injury lawsuit against the township.
Even as the lawsuit progresses, there has been no consensus on safety enhancements between the township authorities on one hand, and Clove Road residents on the other. A 2006 report by Passaic County authorities found that the Clove Road intersection was dangerous, and that the road was not properly designed for the kind of traffic it sees. Little Falls mayor Michael DeFrancisci and county officials had discussed plans to make the road safer. These plans included changing the location of retraining walls, and installing a right hand turn lane. However, both these plans have been opposed by residents who believe the plans would infringe on private property.
Making Clove Road safer for all has thus far been a long process. So far, County authorities have presented 7 plans, but none of these have been approved. The few plans that residents have approved have been rejected by emergency responders, who believe that these plans would limit response times.
The route to a safe road is never easy. There are a number of factors to take into consideration. Unfortunately, many roads in New Jersey have been designed with auto safety in mind, and little regard for the safety and rights of bicyclists and pedestrians. The result is situations like this one, where the need for enhancements is clearly visible, but existing layouts don’t allow them.
Scott Grossman is a New Jersey personal injury lawyer representing victims of injury in Monmouth, Bergen, Passaic and ocean Counties and across New Jersey.
