Another car accident at Vose/Montrose intersection
Couldn't agree more, that flashing light is pretty silly!
I feel often that people from Vose just run through it...
Best Regards,
Ron Carter
I think it'll happen when the four-way stop at Jefferson and Maplewood Avenues does.
I'm kidding, kinda.
I live on Academy and we have a four-way stop at 3rd and Academy. You would think it would make it a safe intersection. Not really. There are so many close calls there. Earlier this week, I approached the intersection just after another car. He went first and the guy behind him waked him through. I honked and the guy turned towards me and gave me the finger. Oy!
Mostly, however, I am a pedestrian in that intersection. When it's their turn to go, people don't want to wait for pedestrians. Scary stuff...
I am a friend with the lady who has lived by this intersection for long time, and she told me there were at least three fatal accidents. After the death of the last person, there was a big meeting regarding putting the four way traffic light, but it was decided that there was no money... How many people dose it take?...
About two years ago, my son was hit going through that intersection. As a new driver, he was pretty shaken. The offending driver rolled through the stop sign on Vose near the blue pre-school and then blew through the blinking red altogether. Neither of them were injured. A blessing.
Taking our youngest to school daily, there are several 4 way stops to maneuver. I have to tell you, not everyone knows how to work a 4 way. I've seen many close calls and near misses. No one uses the 4 way rule and they kind of guess at it. I don't know what the best solution will be but agree something has to be done.
Another month another accident in that deadly intersection... Five police cars, ambulance, fire truck.. lots of work for many different public employees... The intersection is still closed in case you need to pick up your kids from the Country Day School...
No, the intersection isn't closed. As the picture clearly shows, Montrose itself is closed between Vose and Meeker.
Seems a distracted driver hit someone walking on the sidewalk. Knocked him into the station parking lot, sadly killing him.
What a horrible tragedy! The picture was taken shortly before they closed Montrose with yellow tape. Perhaps if it was a four way stop people would drive slowly...
Let us all keep our thoughts and prayers with those who were impacted by today's events which led to a fatality.
Release from South Orange Police Department:
At approximately 3:15 pm on Thursday June 15, 2017, South Orange Police Officers responded to the South Mountain train station overpass on a report of a pedestrian being struck by a vehicle which was traveling on West Montrose Ave.
Upon arrival, officers discovered that a vehicle (2012 Nissan) traveling east on West Montrose Ave and being operated by a 55 year old female appeared to have exited the roadway at the crest of the hill and upon doing so struck a pedestrian that was observed to be walking on the sidewalk.
The pedestrian, a 65 year old male and resident of South Orange, was transported by emergency medical services to Rutgers Hospital in Newark with serious injuries where he was pronounced dead upon arrival.
The incident is being investigated by the South Orange Police Department in conjunction with the Essex County Prosecutors Office and is ongoing at this time.
Anyone having information related to this incident is encouraged to contact Detective Lieutenant Brian McGuire at (973) 763-3000 x 7788.
It's a horrible story. Sheena Collum posted to Facebook with the official report:
https://m.facebook.com/sheena....
News like this is terrifying to me. You're supposed to be safe walking the sidewalks here in town. But then this sort of thing occurs and I want to never let my kid walk anywhere in town.
ETA Thanks Ms Collum. I guess we cross-posted.
Back in September 1989 My Mother and I were in a car accident at the intersection of Vose and Montrose. A red cad came over the bridge above the train tracks and slammed our car, my Mother was diving and I sat shot gun. Our car end up on the side grass of a house. I remember opening the car door getting out and screaming Help, Help My Mother. My glasses were found in the back seat behind the driver's sit. Then the ambulance came. They think my body and or head twisted around and that is why my glasses ended up behind the driver's seat in the back. Then they took me and Mother to the Hospital. My hips have never been the same since this accordant. I personally very strongly feel must be stop sign and a traffic lights at all four corners of Vose and Montrose. Peple driving over the bridge can't see anything until it is to late.
You absolutely have plenty of time to stop coming over that hill if you are driving the speed limit or below. I was taught in driver ed that when you are approaching a stretch of road you can't see that you take your foot off the gas and get ready to hit the brake.
If you're going 25 up that hill you can take your foot off the gas and coast over the top with your foot over the brake pedal ready to press it.
I look at the front end of that car in the picture and wonder how fast that person was driving.
Heartbreaking.
nj.com: Pedestrian on Sidewalk Struck in South Orange, NJ
Sheena, thoughts and prayers are very nice, but in addition to that can we do something practical about this intersection? A four way stop sign or a traffic light? This is a very dangerous intersection with Montrose (becoming West Montrose) going downhill both ways, limited visibility and high traffic area (Mountain station and the preschool). Every person who has to cross it with a child - will attest, it takes a long time for cars to stop due to the factors mentioned. (Montrose travelers are not obliged by a stop sign) Please help residents of South Orange on this very local matter.
It is my experience and observation, as a 20+ year resident of the Mountain Station neighborhood, that countless drivers ignore or do not understand the red and yellow blinking lights, indeed making the Vose-Montrose intersection more dangerous than it really should be. That said, from the limited description of yesterday's tragic incident, I'm not sure whether the intersection and signals themselves appear to have been a factor in this particular instance.
There are stops signs. There are yellow and red flashing lights and yet, people still crash in this intersection. I think we have enough proper signage; we have an abundance of bad, distracted and speeding drivers who, as noted prior, DO NOT UNDERSTAND how to work four way stops or the rules of red and yellow blinking lights.
How the EFF does a vehicle go onto the sidewalk other than intoxication and/or being distracted? Distraction isn't just for teens anymore. This is shameful and incredibly heartbreaking. Thank God my son and the person who hit him survived. This poor soul wasn't even driving!! He was a pedestrian!!!
I hate to be contrarian, but judging from the position of the crashed car she had not gotten to the point where she would have had to stop at the intersection. So in this case, the lack of a stop sign or light isn't the issue.
It's distracted driving. Every single day I see drivers on their phones, not paying attention, and frequently doing something wrong. This morning it was a woman on her phone at a four-way stop who didn't go when it was her turn. No harm, this time, but the rules are there to make traffic predictable so that traffic is safer -- and she wasn't being predictable.
@tom makes a good point. This was not at the intersection at all, and the car in question hit someone on the sidewalk.
This has nothing to do with whatever problems there are at the intersections.
+10
Train_of_Thought said:
It is my experience and observation, as a 20+ year resident of the Mountain Station neighborhood, that countless drivers ignore or do not understand the red and yellow blinking lights, indeed making the Vose-Montrose intersection more dangerous than it really should be. That said, from the limited description of yesterday's tragic incident, I'm not sure whether the intersection and signals themselves appear to have been a factor in this particular instance.
+10, agreed: this is a distracted driving (or medical problem) incident leading to driver's car leaving the roadway, striking pedestrian on sidewalk and ultimately ending in a fatality.
eponymous said:
@tom makes a good point. This was not at the intersection at all, and the car in question hit someone on the sidewalk.
This has nothing to do with whatever problems there are at the intersections.
The idea is that a traffic light (or its cheap cousin a four way stop) will make people drive slower and more carefully through this part of Montrose. While there is little we can do to address careless driving, there is something that can be done to improve the safety of this area. There have been numerous accidents in that intersection. I myself witnessed a person taken to the ambulance after an accident not too long ago. Does someone actually have to die in the middle of the intersection in order for it to be "an intersection fault?"
What does it take to get a stop sign or traffic light? A petition? Local legislation? Fund drive? A ballot initiative? A lady on my street wanted parking restrictions on weekends (we live near a restaurant/club) she got signatures, went to the town coucil sat on numerous meetings, got rejected several times, and one day there were signs. It improved the quality of life on our street.
irag said:
The idea is that a traffic light (or its cheap cousin a four way stop) will make people drive slower and more carefully through this part of Montrose. While there is little we can do to address careless driving, there is something that can be done to improve the safety of this area. There have been numerous accidents in that intersection. I myself witnessed a person taken to the ambulance after an accident not too long ago. Does someone actually have to die in the middle of the intersection in order for it to be "an intersection fault?"
Traffic lights usually create more speeding problems and I do not think the town can just put up a light or make a 4 way stop sign. I think an analysis has to be done and the dept of transportation has to approve (trying to remember from the proposed light on Scotland road.
A really cheap and quick solution is to make Vose south of Montrose one way heading south. And, to make Vose north of Montrose one way heading north. This would mean that you would no longer have Vose traffic crossing Montrose as each one way on the north and south ends of Vose would head away from the intersection.
irag said:
The idea is that a traffic light (or its cheap cousin a four way stop) will make people drive slower and more carefully through this part of Montrose. While there is little we can do to address careless driving, there is something that can be done to improve the safety of this area. There have been numerous accidents in that intersection. I myself witnessed a person taken to the ambulance after an accident not too long ago. Does someone actually have to die in the middle of the intersection in order for it to be "an intersection fault?"
You make a good point and to add onto what RealityForAll suggested, what will it take for the town or responsible entity to take this on?
mikescott said:
Traffic lights usually create more speeding problems and I do not think the town can just put up a light or make a 4 way stop sign. I think an analysis has to be done and the dept of transportation has to approve (trying to remember from the proposed light on Scotland road.
This fatality is a whole different situation. Only one car was involved.
galileo said:
This fatality is a whole different situation. Only one car was involved.
Agree that a car jumping a curb and hitting someone can not be prevented with standard traffic calming devices. Given that the roadway at that location is challenging due to line of sight issues and that the location has a history of collisions, a traffic study by the town engineer may still be warranted.
Actually since speed was involved here traffic calming devices might have helped IMHO
Was speed involved? I didn't see any reference to it in the news stories. Even so according to AAA data even at the legal speed limit there a person that she has a one-in-three chance of dying.
I move we abandon the crosswalk-trap enforcement program and instead set up officers to pull over and ticket distracted drivers.
And please, no profiling. The color of the driver isn't any more lethal than the color of the car.
Sure seems to be quite a few people on here who don't get it. The only identifiable Village person is Sheena - who gave a typical political response. Not that condolences are not due to the victim's family and friends. But really, that's all we get from her?
To others who complain about the stop signs being rolled - that happens almost exclusively for South bound Vose traffic. Why? take a look at the pic. You can't see squat if you stop at the stop line (the picture taken about 6' BEHIND the stop line at about where a driver would be). Those trees are likely Village trees (within 13' from the curb at 4' above ground?). Even if these trees turn out to be the property owner's the Village is responsible for ensuring lines of sight.
For those who think putting in some stop signs on Montrose would be in-effective: think again. The Village should not only put a 4-way stop here, they should also put one at (I believe) Clark and Montrose (where they have the same set up: cross traffic stop, Montrose yellow). That would slow the traffic down. If not, speed bumps are generally effective. I drive both Vose and Montrose frequently and would not have a problem taking the extra minute or so.
Why should the Village do this? SAFETY. Talking with old-timers in the neighborhood there have been two or three (depending with whom you speak) other fatalities at this corner. The Village did a study after one of these (I believe the last one) and couldn't do anything because of money. So the study is already there, more than likely with lighter traffic loads. I don't know if the Day Care on Vose next to this corner was present at that time. If it is a matter of funding (and what does four stop signs, four red lenses, and some paint on the street really cost?) I am quite sure there are enough people out there that know how to do fund raising, writing grant proposals, etc. that the funds could be acquired.
There is high foot traffic in that area - mothers walking their children to day care, other pedestrians going to and from Mountain Station. While the LAW is vehicular traffic is supposed to stop for pedestrians at a marked crosswalk, they DO NOT here - PARTICULARLY the traffic on Montrose. Further, the traffic on Montrose regularly exceeds the posted 25 mph.
About eighteen months ago, there was another accident that took out one of the two stop/caution lights. The Village put up temporary stop signs on Montrose. What happened? About half the vehicles went right through the first few days. After a few days, the volume of traffic dropped. (hmm.... stop signs reduced traffic - who would have thought). And if we are concerned about the safety of the residents (and one would think the Village would be interested in the safety of its residents) lower traffic volume is not a bad thing.
Could this have been worse? Considering the numbers of pedestrian PARENTS taking one or more children to day care, then the answer is a resounding yes.
People have asked how many people have to be killed at (or near) the intersection before action is taken? The answer - based on what the Village Officals have posted here, is: More than three or four.
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The police just finished cleaning up another accident at the Vose/Montrose intersection. The intersection is open now. Looks like this time no one was injured. One of the cars ended up on a corner house's driveway! How many accidents need to happen before this intersection becomes a four way stop???