Resident says street has become speedway

FRANKLIN—One Ridgewood Road resident told the borough council last week that his street has become a mini-raceway for drivers seeking quick access to Route 23, a problem officials have heard from residents of other areas in town. Cars have crossed Buckwheat Road onto Ridgewood, and from there onto Walsh Road in order to make a quick turn onto Route 23, said Jim Grabkowski, who pleaded for a solution to a problem he said has made the small side street unsafe. "You've got to slow these cars down," Grabkowski said. "They're going too fast. They're going way too fast. I tell people to slow it down, they give me the bird, and then they speed it up. It's unbelievable, the amount of cars that go down that road. It really is. "I have rocks lined up on my front lawn so cars won't ride up on it to avoid the cars going the other way because the road is so narrow," the homeowner added. "I moved here 15 years ago when it was a quiet little neighborhood. And over the last five years, it's just gotten increasingly worse." Walsh Road is located almost directly across the highway from the borough's bigger retail establishments, including Shop Rite, Burger King and Wal-Mart, a situation that has caused some motorists to drive faster in order to reach their destination quicker, Grabkowski said. Claiming that three accidents have occurred in that area this year, Grabkowski also said the road isn't safe enough for neighborhood kids to walk on. The borough council has heard similar complaints involving other Route 23 entrances/exits such as Rutherford Avenue and Master Street, and wants to craft a solution that will satisfy everyone without shifting one neighborhood's problem to another. But since some of those possible solutions would require funding and approval from the N.J. Department of Transportation, borough officials have said a quick answer isn't possible. "Wwe can't fix it here tonight," said borough attorney Richard Clark. "(But) it certainly has to have some priority." Clark feels that consultation with both borough engineer Tom Grau and the police department is important, a point with which everyone on council agreed. Mayor Doug Kistle said that "we'll bring it to our engineer." Borough Administrator Richard R. Wolak asked Grabkowski if he would be amenable to the reopening of Washington Avenue. Grabowski said he would. "That's one possibility," the administrator replied. "We're looking into a multitude of possibilities. When you cut off one particular access, people find a multitude of other ways to go. "We're trying to get a universal solution where everyone will be happy." Earlier this year, the borough council told residents of other areas that a meeting between them and the council would be held toward that end, but because it involves the D.O.T., "I didn't want to have a meeting to talk about a solution without any funding," Wolak explained. In the meantime, borough officials said Ridgewood and Walsh are slated for line painting, and that the police would also be consulted. "It (traffic) is going to 23 because it's an easy way," Grabkowski added. "You make a right (onto Walsh), you make a left (onto 23), you're in all those stores. It's an ongoing problem and something's going to happen, sooner or later. "I just want everyone to be happy."