Madison Borough Petition Starts Changes

On Friday, October 10, 2014, in an email, the Borough Administration has responded to a Central Avenue neighborhood group who petitioned in favor of safety improvements on Central Avenue and surrounding streets and met with representatives of the County and the Borough at Hartley Dodge Memorial on October 1. Thirty-five residents attended the meeting.

The Petition Committee took note of the intention by the Borough and the County to enact traffic calming measures on Central Avenue:

• New signage
• Updating/addition of crosswalks, chevrons, SLOW and bicycle striping.
• Posting of a crossing guard within ten days at the intersection of Fairview Avenue and Central Avenue.
• Posting of additional wheelchair signs.

Longer term improvements are also considered by the county, such as travel lane narrowing via restriping, with paving already scheduled for 2017.

“We want to express our gratitude for the rapidity of town’s response, says Jessica Van Tassell, a member of the Petition Committee.”

The new signage will warn drivers of the presence of pedestrians, especially important in the part of Central Avenue that is without sidewalk.

The speed limit reduction remains unresolved. The petition signatories will continue to push towards a speed limit reduction and present their case at the freeholder’s public meeting of October 22.

In the email, the Borough indicated that sidewalks will be included in the budget discussions come November and work beginning in the spring of 2015.