www.qns.com 2RIDGEWOOD TIMES MARCH 25, 2022
Ridgewood residents call for safety signals at dangerous intersection
BY JULIA MORO
EDITORIAL@QNS.COM
@QNS
Around 250 Ridgewood community members rallied
on Saturday, March 19, by Grover Cleveland Park to
call on the Department of Transportation (DOT) to
add safety measures to a dangerous intersection in their
neighborhood.
The Crosswalk Committee of Ridgewood, a newly
formed grassroots organization, put together the rally
to demand pedestrian signals and other safety measures
at Stanhope Street and Fairview Avenue. According to
residents, this intersection directly across from Grover
Cleveland Park and High School is known as a dangerous
place to cross the street.
“There’s no safe way to get to the park or the high
school,” said Nicole Galpern, the co-founder of the
Crosswalk Committee of Ridgewood. “Everyone in my
neighborhood goes to the park mostly for recreation,
so to be more stressed as you’re approaching the park
feels counterintuitive.”
In 2019, an older man died of head trauma after being
hit by a car heading eastbound on Stanhope Street, just
a block away from his home.
“Are we waiting for another tragedy to happen before
they respond? That doesn’t seem like a good method,”
said Becca Kauffman, co-founder of the Crosswalk
Committee.
The Crosswalk Committee received 350 signatures
on a petition and 200 signed postcards that will be sent
to the DOT asking them to add a crosswalk and traffic
signage to make the intersection safer. Currently, the
intersection of Stanhope Street and Fairview Avenue
Volunteers help guide pedestrians across Stanhope Street as the group rallies for a safer intersection at
Stanhope and Fairview Avenue in Ridgewood on Sunday, March 20, 2022. Photo by Paul Frangipane
has no crosswalk demarcations or pedestrian signals.
Kauffman said it is extremely upsetting that this
intersection is so dangerous since it acts as a gateway
to major green spaces in the neighborhood.
“It’s a really crucial commons that people really appreciate
and it has been especially thriving since the
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pandemic because it’s our only outdoor space where we
can roam,” Kauffman said.
Gary Giordano, the district manager for Community
Board 5, asked the DOT to add safety measures to the
intersection but his request was denied. However, DOT
responded to QNS saying they are “exploring enhanced
pedestrian crossings at this intersection and will have
more to share as this project develops.”
One resident who attended the rally, Ruth Lowe, has
been living in Ridgewood for 65 years. She said that
cars never slow down or stop for pedestrians at that
intersection.
“If they see you walking with a cane or wobbling and
having trouble walking, they step on their freaking
gas and they aim for you,” Lowe said. “That’s how concerned
they are for people’s lives.”
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