Most of you seem to think Irving Street could do without a couple of the stop signs, according to the latest poll:
It’s been a year since two-way traffic came to downtown — what do you think?
What’s with all the stop signs? 47 percent (44/93)
Love it! 29 percent (27/93)
Hate it! 12 percent (12/93)
It slowed down traffic for sure. 10 percent (10/93)
Some of you commented by email that at least one or two stop signs could go because you found it annoying. Others said downtown is now safe for pedestrians because cars have slowed down since the traffic changes, and suggested that motorists looking to get to St. Georges Avenue or Route 1 find an alternative to Irving Street. I was surprised when all the stop signs went up at first but I’m used to them now, but I usually only have to get through two of them once a day.
The stop signs are more of a parking necessity than a traffic control measure, according to Police Chief John Rodger. If one of the stop signs were eliminated, it would adversely affect the parking around that intersection because of line-of-sight issues. “Since parking is at a premium we are very hesitant to eliminate any spots,” said Rodger, adding that “we continue to evaluate the potential to add parking where we can.” The department frequently received complaints about speeding on Irving Street before the pattern change. He expects traffic flow to improve with the intersection project at Irving and Hamilton streets this summer.
There may be changes coming to Elm Avenue, making it two-way at least halfway from Irving Street – but not all the way to Main Street – to allow vehicles to enter the Park Square.
Poll: How long will it take Rahway to fix the East side Eastbound staircase at the train station.
Wow. I was just thinking this myself this morning. I don't think they have touched it once since they boarded it up.
If it's anything close to the same timeline as the Milton Avenue stairs on the northbound side, expect next spring. Those stairs were closed last June, renovations completed past spring.
I was one who voted that it slows down traffic. Because of all the stop signs in Irving, I now use only Main to get to my apt on….Main St.
Also, anon, just to clarify, it's not the city that will fix those stairs; those are NJ Transit's responsibility.
Thanks Mark. I didn't realize it was a NJ Transit responsibility. That means it will take forever I'm guessing. I just sent them an email to get some answers. I encourage everyone to do the same.Another question: Is it Rahway or NJ Transit that dumps pounds of metal abusing salt all over the train station every winter? I have walked off trains thinking it has snowed when the platform is covered in salt with no snow in sight. Horrible for the environment and cripples the station as we can see from the accelerated corrosion.
Anonymous, the station is maintained by the Rahway Center Partnership. Unfortunately, if "pounds of metal abusing salt" aren't dumped all over the platform in icy weather, you can bet your salt that someone will slip and fall and sue all of creation. So be sure and thank a lawyer today 😉
the problem seems to be they use plenty of salt but after the ice melts the excess sits there and is never removed. If anyone ever read directions for that product,it says to remove whats left after the ice melts,because it causes damage to metal,cement etc…
This was the response I received from NJ Transit. FYI…"I hear and appreciate your frustration and apologize for the inconvenience you are experiencing. This is not a simple project. It had to be put out for bid. A bid has been accepted, design work is being done and construction is expected to commence in September and be completed sometime in October."
Just to put in my vote, I'm happy for the stop signs. Without a pedestrian friendly city, you can forget about reviving downtown. Nobody wants to feel that they are risking their life just to get around town.
The Rahway Partnership does not put the salt on the platforms- this is handled through NJ Transit and at which is out sourced to another company.