We are concerned members of the Gregory neighborhood in West Orange. Many of us are parents of young children who attend Gregory Elementary School and Roosevelt Middle School. There are multiple safety issues for pedestrians walking to and from these schools that require urgent action from the Township and the County. Many of these safety concerns have been raised for decades with very little action.

In an effort to mitigate these pedestrian safety issues, we are teaming up with Sangeeta and Sunil Badlani who are the parents of Nikhil Badlani, an 11-year-old boy who was tragically killed in 2011 in a local car crash involving a distracted driver. Nikhil, a caring and compassionate young man, used to attend Gregory Elementary, traveling to and from there each day on foot. Incidentally, Nikhil was only in 3rd grade when he created his own petition to improve Gregory area pedestrian safety after noticing the many dangers during his commute. Nikhil’s petition from 2007 to Mayor McKeon along with a map with proposed changes is enclosed here. It has been 15 years since this remarkable young man wrote that petition and acquired more than 100 signatures. Nikhil’s family has been working hard for years to honor his legacy. We must proactively do our part, as a community, to ensure the safety of our children instead of waiting for a preventable tragedy.

A group of concerned community members - including the Badlanis and parents of young children - recently met with multiple officials such as the West Orange Town Council President, Town and County engineers and a representative from the West Orange Police Department - on Gregory Avenue to discuss the various issues and needs. These officials were receptive, they explained feasibility of certain mitigation requests and are actively assembling a plan. These proposed changes are necessary and long overdue and we are hopeful for expeditious planning and implementation. Our petition aims to show community support for these safety changes.  

Among the safety issues: There is no clear signage on Gregory Avenue indicating a school zone. The speed limit on Gregory is 25 mph, however, many vehicles frequently travel much faster with little regard for pedestrians, even small children. The speed limit during school arrival and dismissal should be lowered to 15 mph on Gregory Ave. Lowell Avenue, parallel to Gregory Ave, where many parents drive their children to school for drop off and pick up is marked as a 15-mph school zone. We are asking the same for Gregory Ave where many children and families walk and that this slower and cautious speed limit is consistently and strictly enforced.

Another concern is a few blocks south of the school toward the West Orange/South Orange border. Gregory Ave has an 'S' curve ahead of cars traveling southbound towards Lowell Place. It is difficult for residents of Lowell Place and surrounding areas to safely cross Gregory Ave. There is another S-curve issue that occurs further north where drivers are approaching or leaving Roosevelt Middle School on Gregory Ave. Drivers often speed down the hill on the S-curve approaching the cars that are turning left to drop their students off at Roosevelt Middle School on Club Blvd. These and other safety issues are outlined in the bullet points below. 

It should be noted that Gregory Ave is a county road, thus Essex County and the town of West Orange will need to collaborate in order to implement the required safety changes.

We need to: 

• Designate a School Zone and mark it clearly with specific times of enforcement, prominent signage including Flashing LED speed limit signs and Edge lit LED curve signs
• Lower the speed limit to 15 mph on Gregory Ave in proximity to Gregory Elementary School as well as for Roosevelt School at Mitchell Street/Gregory Place, during arrival and dismissal
• Add flashing speed limit signs activated by crossing guards prior to arrival and dismissal times
• Introduce speed-limiting measures on the stretch, including radar signs, crosswalks, crossing guards and increased police enforcement 
• Build a continuous sidewalk on the west side of Gregory Avenue, where it is feasible
•  Install crosswalks with pedestrian-activated flashing lights at Lowell Place & Gregory Ave, Luddington Rd & Gregory Ave, Lawrence Ave & Gregory Ave. (Parents have expressed concern that vehicles might not know to stop in time for pedestrians crossing at Lowell Pl/Gregory Ave and Luddington Rd/Gregory Ave. as these intersections are close to the S-curve). Solutions are needed to address these concerns
• Install a 4-way stop at Forest Hill Rd/Dartmouth Rd, flashing pedestrian signs and a school crossing guard
• Traffic signal study and warrant analysis on Gregory Ave. at Mitchell St. and Gregory Pl
• Install crossing guard/pedestrian-activated flashing school crossing signs at Mitchell Street and Gregory Pl. and Gregory Ave
• Install a 3-way Stop sign/speed signs at intersection of Lowell Place and Luddington Terrace
• Install speed signs and other speed control measures in close proximity to Lowell Avenue and Lowell Place intersection where young children wait each morning at a bus stop. Drivers frequently speed down Mountain Way, which poses danger to pedestrians
• Install guardrails/protective barriers along Gregory Avenue, particularly where the road curves just south of Lowell Avenue
• Install traffic calming tables and other speed control measures to deter drivers from cutting through Mountain Way and Lowell Place (as drivers race down that stretch daily past children waiting at a crowded bus stop)
• Conduct traffic signal/corridor studies, wherever required, to warrant these changes
• Fix any other potential safety issues found during the traffic study and/or raised by our school community as well as officials from the County and Township

Please do everything you can to help our community be as safe as possible. We cannot wait for a preventable tragedy before we act. Thanks for your attention to this important issue. Together, we can make a difference. Please sign this petition.

If you also have questions/concerns or if you’d like to provide your own testimony/photos/videos to share, e-mail gregorychildsafety@gmail.com. Also let us know if you’d like to help in some way. We plan to speak at upcoming Town Council and Essex County Board meetings. The more community members who show up to support child pedestrian safety, the more impactful it will be.   

Sincerely,

Nicole Ruffo, Shannon Breen, Sangeeta and Sunil Badlani