Leonia Traffic

Living in Leonia has many advantages.  Traffic congestion, particularly when the GWB backs up is clearly not one of them. While an unfortunate and unavoidable consequence of periodic GWB congestion, I believe the key to managing the traffic challenges are severalfold.

1) Keep managing the flow of vehicles exiting the NJ Turnpike onto Ft Lee Rd.  Pause traffic as necessary to avoid congestion throughout the borough.

2) Keep the major Fort Lee Road intersections clear from gridlock by positioning police resources at these intersections and issuing citations as warranted.

3) Solicit and receive help from other police agencies particularly the Port Authority of NY/NJ (which regularly assists Fort Lee but not Leonia) and Bergen County.

4) Address the quality of life issues that arise from GWB traffic, like incessant and unnecessary horn use by deploying the borough’s mobile electronic sign and issuing summonses/warnings as might be required.   

As a Councilman, I've supported bringing on board more Special Law Enforcement Officers (SLEO's).. A recent advertisement associated with this effort resulted in considerably more applications than anticipated which is great news. These officers, once trained, will assist with traffic control and enforcement efforts. I have also approved a special purchase for the deployment of several speed humps to slow vehicular traffic on side streets. We will experiment with these speed humps to determine their efficacy. Finally, I am exploring a townwide volunteer effort to close our side streets as warranted when the Mayor proclaims a public safety emergency.

I believe we need more police and traffic officers deployed when gridlock strikes.  I’ve personally witnessed road rage, numerous cars blocking intersections and incessant honking disturbing our quality of life.  This is unacceptable.  While we need more help from the Port Authority and the County, and we must continue to beat that drum, we must ensure that even on the most challenging traffic days our town is as safe and peaceful as possible.

Ensuring traffic flow from the bottom of Ft Lee Road is regulated and keeping all of the Ft Lee Rd intersections clear with an obvious police presence (and more than a handful of summonses/warnings being issued) will be a big step in the right direction.

At the end of the day, we are able to treat the consequences of a GWB backup as best we can but can’t prevent traffic jams from occurring.