Politics & Government

Students Successfully Lobby For Safer Intersection

A four-way stop at the intersection of Chestnut and Forest streets will be in place by the end of the week, said Montclair Township Manager Marc Dashield.

 

Students finally got their way on Tuesday night.  

The Montclair Township Council unanimously passed an ordinance Tuesday to place a four-way stop at the intersection of Chestnut and Forest streets. The passage comes after months of students from Montclair Cooperative School lobbying the council to post the stop signs in front of the school and a new traffic study.  

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More than a dozen Montclair Cooperative School students and parents were at the meeting to see the conclusion of a campaign to install the signs which began in the fall.  

“We just want to thank you [the council] ... so much because we really appreciate that you spent so much time coming to meetings, letting us speak to you about this stop sign,” said eighth-grader Maggie Lukenda. 

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“Even through the difficulties and small oppositions to this, we’ve gotten through it and we really appreciate you helping us with this.” 

The council also waived the 20-day wait period for ordinances to take effect. Township Manager Marc Dashield said the Public Works Department will put up the additional stop signs by the end of the week.  

“... An emergency exists in this interest of public safety,” read Councilor Robin Schlager from the ordinance. 

As a gesture of thanks, Maggie Lukenda also presented the council with a bag full of cookies from students which were in the shape of stop signs.  

The Montclair Cooperative School campus is located at the intersection of Chestnut and Forest streets. Ruthie’s Bar-B-Q & Pizza is also located at the intersection, which is a perennial hangout for students after school.

In January, the new traffic study found a slight increase in the flow of traffic at the intersection. Dashield said at the time the new analysis met the criteria to warrant the installation of a four-way stop at the crossroads. 


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