Kay

There are several *enormous* potholes on Park Place, right at the intersection with Rector - to the point where northbound traffic on Park comes to a standstill while drivers attempt to navigate the craters, while others go around them on the left and then shoot over two lanes to get back onto Park.

It's a very dangerous situation especially due to the frequent passenger (read: children) loading and unloading at the YMCA.

Please, please fix the potholes!!

Update March 12, 2014:

Please re-open this ticket... unfortunately nothing has changed... I'm sure the County has had more pressing issues to address lately given the horrible winter we've had so far, but it would be such a relief to get this fixed!

Thanks !
***************
The signal light on Passaic at the mall entrance near Marshall's and the old Pathmark, has been out of synch with the light further north, at the entrance near the bank. Even though these lights are clearly on sensors, lately the Marshall's light seems to be operating with a mind of its own. It turns red for an eternity for *no one at all*. Then the northbound left turn light illuminates, also for "no one at all*, while southbound traffic backs up.

Heading south on Passaic during morning rush hour, the Marshall's light turns red when the bank light turns green. Then the block fills up, traffic blocks the intersection at the bank, and invariably some jerk will come up on the right, zoom past everyone waiting patiently in the center lane for the light to change, and cut everyone off from the 'right turn only' lane. This is not only infuriating, it is also quite dangerous.

Frankly it is *faster* to drive around through the parking lot!

I called several weeks ago and the representative at public works told me she would pass my message along to the fire department, who is apparently in charge of signal timing. I realize firefighters probably have more important things to do, so perhaps the public works department could handle this instead?

Please fix the timing.

There is an enormous pothole at the beginning of Kitchell where it meets Mulberry. It has grown to the proportions of a small canyon and recently someone has thrown a cinder block and several pieces of 5/4" x 6" lumber into it. This did nothing to alleviate the hazard and in fact, probably increases the peril. Please bring a truckload of gravel for now, until it can be properly repaired in the spring!

p.s. The new fancy brickwork at the corner of Kitchell and Park Plaza did absolutely nothing to solve the continuous drainage problems ... there is almost always a standing body of water at the corner (or a frozen lake). And they never swept up the stone dust from the construction work and it is all over the sidewalk - an accident waiting to happen.

There is NO lane directional sign on Southbound Broadway approaching the intersection with Bloomfield Ave to tell drivers that the right lane is right turn only!! The ONLY time you learn that the lane is right turn only is AFTER you reach the stoplight and see that it is painted right at the limit line! No early warnings, no signs, no nothing. This is a HAZARDOUS CONDITION because if you want to go straight, you have to cut in!

Please at least install lane indication signs well in advance of this intersection, and paint the lane more than once, and EARLIER and than right at the stoplight!

This main artery into Newark was suddenly closed at the beginning of Summer, 2012 for repairs to the sewer treatment plant, with an estimated completion date of early September. Not surprisingly, the project was NOT completed by Labor Day and the resulting traffic nightmare during the first weeks of September was almost enough to make me want to quit my job in Newark! The Newark Patch was finally able to find out that the new completion date was now more than *double* the original timetable... Estimated December 31st. Is the bridge finally going to reopen this week? In what alternate universe can a contractor simply exceed their project schedule by more than 100% with no uproar? (I certainly hope this was not bid on time and material.)

WHEN will the bridge reopen??

This main artery into Newark was suddenly closed at the beginning of Summer, 2012 for repairs to the sewer treatment plant, with an estimated completion date of early September. Not surprisingly, the project was NOT completed by Labor Day and the resulting traffic nightmare during the first weeks of September was almost enough to make me want to quit my job in Newark! The Newark Patch was finally able to find out that the new completion date was now more than *double* the original timetable... Estimated December 31st. Is the bridge finally going to reopen this week? In what alternate universe can a contractor simply exceed their project schedule by more than 100% with no uproar? (I certainly hope this was not bid on time and material.)

WHEN will the bridge reopen??

This main artery into Newark was suddenly closed at the beginning of Summer, 2012 for repairs to the sewer treatment plant, with an estimated completion date of early September. Not surprisingly, the project was NOT completed by Labor Day and the resulting traffic nightmare during the first weeks of September was almost enough to make me want to quit my job in Newark! The Newark Patch was finally able to find out that the new completion date was now more than *double* the original timetable... Estimated December 31st. Is the bridge finally going to reopen this week? In what alternate universe can a contractor simply exceed their project schedule by more than 100% with no uproar? (I certainly hope this was not bid on time and material.)

WHEN will the bridge reopen??

The traffic signal for Northbound Route 21 at the 280 overpass now turns red for no reason whatsoever. I began noticing the problem during evening commute 7+ days ago. It is not just happening in evening hours, however, as I can see from my office window that traffic is still being stopped there, even during off-hours.

Previously the light would turn red only when activated by a pedestrian. Now, it turns red when the traffic exiting from 280 East onto 21 South has a green light. However, since that exit traffic is prohibited from turning left, there is no reason to have Northbound 21 traffic stop.

This area is already a *complete disaster*, since the Clay Street bridge is Still closed due to construction (which has exceeded its project completion date by *four months* - more than double the original timeframe - hope the contractor is not being paid T&M). Now, northbound traffic backs up almost all the way to Bridge Street for no apparent reason. There is simply no need to stop northbound traffic unless there is a pedestrian waiting to cross.

Please fix this!

For the last few months, the left turn light from Eastbound Center Street onto Northbound Route 21 has been *too short*! It seems that the timing was actively and purposely changed (per my conversations with the signals department) with no regard for the consequences. During evening rush hours, traffic is now backing up Mulberry almost all the way to Raymond Blvd. Drivers have taken it upon themselves to begin making right turns on red from the center lane of Mulberry onto Center Street out of desperation, in order to get into the two left turn lanes onto Route 21 North. Traffic on Center street also backs up significantly, on some occasions even past the light at Park Place.

The change in timing for this one light has caused gridlock in the area and it needs to be addressed immediately!

During the evening commute hours, the left turn arrow from Eastbound Center Street onto Route 21 North is too short and has been for a while now. Left turns used to get a longer window of time, depending on the cycle due to the light rail, but now they barely get 10 seconds and traffic spills back through both sides of the Mulberry Street intersection - sometimes all the way past the Seton Hall parking garage!

It is also causing anarchy at the Center / Mulberry intersection, since the center lane of Mulberry is not marked. The backup is causing people to turn right from the *center lane* of Mulberry onto Center Street, thus doubling the load in that small block of Center (and greatly irritating the drivers patiently waiting in the right lane of Mulberry, who keep getting cut off by the center-lane- turners. Obviously, the center lane on Mulberry needs to be marked instead of left blank ... but that would be a separate issue...)

**Please fix the timing of this left turn arrow!**

Recently (July 2012) a traffic measurement 'rope' appeared in both directions of Route 21 near Chester Ave. This message is for whomever approved and/or installed this data gathering: **YOUR DATA WILL BE DEFICIENT!**

Measuring traffic on Route 21 during the summer months is like measuring traffic in Mayberry on a Sunday. None of the city's thousands of college students are on the roads yet, and at any given time, a significant percentage of people who work in the city are on vacation. Anyone who has commuted to Newark via car for more than the past month knows that traffic lightens *significantly* after Memorial day, fully doubles by the last week of August (when colleges are back in session), and reaches its peak in the first few weeks after Labor day.

*Please* do not base any traffic management proposals on the data you are gathering at this time! It is useless and quite frankly, a waste of my tax money.

Mulberry St. between Raymond and Center is ordinarily 5 lanes wide but is down to two due to the snow. Kitchell Place wasn't even plowed or salted at all and it now a truly hazardous mess - a lawsuit waiting to happen. I feel like I need spikes and ski poles to walk around down here. Send out a front-loader and a dump truck and get rid of the snow on Mulberry St., and at least salt Kitchell!

And while you're at it, the right turn from Route 21 South onto Center was barely plowed, and anything longer than a standard SUV will not be able to make that turn.

Mayor Booker, if you want people to come to your city, you need to do everything you can to make it hospitable and inviting. I realize this winter has been unusual, and you have a big city to manage, but after the first storm in December, three weeks went by before anyone remembered to plow the right turn lanes on Route 21 and open up Mulberry Street. Really?

**Update 12/15/11**
Today at this intersection I witnessed two opposing cars begin rolling into the intersection while under the red light in order to beat each other. It looked like a game of chicken. The left turner cut off the straight away person, narrowly missing a pedestrian crossing Broad St. to get to the bus stop on the corner. This intersection is a tragedy waiting to happen!! Bloomfield, please DO SOMETHING!!
The "left turns yield" law seems to be completely invalid at the intersection of Broad and Bay. Drivers turning left onto southbound Broad Street from westbound Bay St routinely roll into the intersection before the light turns green, and cuts in front of drivers heading east on Bay. This morning, *two* drivers cut across and the second one may even have been a police officer in his personal vehicle since there was a shield in the window. Are there different left turn laws in Bloomfield? To alleviate this problem, would it be possible to install a brief, 3-second left turn arrow in both directions, similar to the short arrow on eastbound Bloomfield Ave at Valley Rd. in Montclair?

Alternatively, could Bloomfield begin enforcing the law by positioning an officer at the corner?