ANOTHER Crash at Intersection of Valley Street & Hixon Place

I work from home with a window overlooking this intersection and I cannot begin to count how many car crashes have happened here, especially since Stop and Shop took over from Pathmark. (This is the corner with CVS and Totri Child Care.) 

Another one happened just now, with screaming brakes and then an absolutely sickening thud. Sheena, S.O. council people et al, this is a FATALITY waiting to happen. Please install the stop light that's needed here during daytime hours before someone dies. 

Rivoli -  If you haven't already done so, send an email to Sheena and the BOT. Secondly, if you can, attend the Public Safety meeting Oct. 22, 2019  6:00 - 7:30. Generally, the best way to handle something like this is to start with the Public Safety Committee. Since Valley is a county road installing a light is going to be a lot more difficult (actually, the only stop lights in town are on county roads.) 

Getting a traffic light can be done.  It will take persistence, justification, and community outreach (one voice is far from enough to get the village to agree to put the proposal forward) to get the process started.  Then the county will have to review and approve the request before the traffic light can be installed.  It took something like six years from date of request to get the traffic light at the intersection of Oakview and Valley.  Work on installing the agreed to traffic light at Pierson and Valley has just been delayed again for budgetary reasons.  Do not expect this to be a quick fix.

It's a county road. Contact the county. Not much S.O. can do without their support.

It has been my observation that the most prevalent danger at that intersection has been people (presumably parents) parking in front of the day care center where parking is actually prohibited and thus blocking the view of drivers trying to enter Valley from the back parking lot of the Stop and Shop or CVS. I feel confident that this is part of the "I'll only be here for a minute" parking mentality -This makes for a completely blind entrance for anyone trying to come up from that "road/driveway" and so when combined with the speed that many others travel on Valley coming from South Orange, -BAM!

It is so risky that I no longer try to come up that way and will instead cut through the CVS parking lot to enter Valley where oncoming traffic can be seen.

steel said:

It has been my observation that the most prevalent danger at that intersection has been people (presumably parents) parking in front of the day care center where parking is actually prohibited and thus blocking the view of drivers trying to enter Valley from the back parking lot of the Stop and Shop or CVS. I feel confident that this is part of the "I'll only be here for a minute" parking mentality -This makes for a completely blind entrance for anyone drying to come up from that "road/driveway" and so when combined with the speed that many others travel on Valley coming from South Orange, -BAM!

It is so risky that I no longer try to come up that way and will instead cut through the CVS parking lot to enter Valley where oncoming traffic can be seen.

 I either do that or come straight out of the main entrance to Stop and Shop. Better yet, I park on Valley and walk down to Stop and Shop when I am only getting a few things. I used to use the exit across from Hixon all the time when it was Pathmark and A&P, but it is just too dangerous. With the cars and SUVs parked in front of Totri, there is no sight line at all!

There’s now a small temporary STOP sign at the top of the Stop & Shop exit ramp. 

cuethesun said:

There’s now a small temporary STOP sign at the top of the Stop & Shop exit ramp. 

 That sign is usually lying on the side of the road because it's been hit by a driver

Cramer, thanks for your suggestions. I've sent Sheena and the BOT an email, and will do my best to attend the Public Safety meeting.

I agree 100% with @steel.  It's almost impossible to exit the lot without pulling too far into the street because the view is blocked by parked cars.

I don't think that the amount of traffic that comes out of Hixon or the parking lot onto Valley would be deemed by "the powers-that-be" to warrant a traffic light, HOWEVER, -it would be really helpful if the relevant part of the side walk in front of the day care center could be widened to keep folks from parking there (since signs alone seem to be useless). 

PS: It seems of little value that a temporary stop sign was put at the top of the ramp since everyone coming out of that ramp already stops. -again the problem is the lack of sight-line.

steel said:

I don't think that the amount of traffic that comes out of Hixon or the parking lot onto Valley would be deemed by "the powers-that-be" to warrant a traffic light, HOWEVER, -it would be really helpful if the relevant part of the side walk in front of the day care center could be widened to keep folks from parking there (since signs alone seem to be useless). 

PS: It seems of little value that a temporary stop sign was put at the top of the ramp since everyone coming out of that ramp already stops. -again the problem is the lack of sight-line.

 I agree that the number of vehicles using this intersection will not warrant a traffic light.   I do not use that lot much so I cant speak to it specifically.   But there are other factors that may help the cause.... such as the number of accidents that have occurred there.  This can be obtained by submitting an OPRA request from the S.O.P.D. 

If illegal parking in front of the daycare center is truly an issue....you would need to speak to the traffic officer at the S.O.P.D.   I would advise him/her of the problem and would add possible contributors and possible solutions.  Solutions could start with them printing a notice advising the parents who are illegally parking that the area is a no parking zone, then have the daycare center distribute it to all of the parents, and ask if an officer could be assigned there for a few days during peak hours.  If this is not a "no stopping /standing area" that can be a problem.   But easily solved by changing the ordinance.   

Is there a crosswalk at this intersection?  If so advise the parents to park on Hixon and use the crosswalk,  if there is no crosswalk...petition the county to install one.

Ask the village and Stop and Shop to install speed humps 50' to 100' before the intersection, this will make drivers pay more attention to their driving as they approach  Valley st. 

Not easy nor quick, but can be done.  Good luck.

Eric

Geez Eric, that sounds like a lot of work. I just write here... and avoid that intersection.

EricBurbank said: 

Is there a crosswalk at this intersection?  If so advise the parents to park on Hixon and use the crosswalk,  if there is no crosswalk...petition the county to install one.

 Eric, crosswalks on Valley Street are like the emoluments clause of the Constitution. A really good idea but flagrantly violated every day. 

steel said:

I don't think that the amount of traffic that comes out of Hixon or the parking lot onto Valley would be deemed by "the powers-that-be" to warrant a traffic light, HOWEVER, -it would be really helpful if the relevant part of the side walk in front of the day care center could be widened to keep folks from parking there (since signs alone seem to be useless). 

PS: It seems of little value that a temporary stop sign was put at the top of the ramp since everyone coming out of that ramp already stops. -again the problem is the lack of sight-line.

Traffic does not come out of Hixon to Valley because Hixon is a one-way street from Valley towards Academy.  The traffic is only coming onto Valley from the CVS side of the street.

Thanks yahooyahoo, I forgot about that and I'd guess it's even more reason why a traffic light would likely not be deemed worthy.

I use that exit all the time (so that I won’t get stuck behind left-turners using the main Stop & Shop exit and not leaving enough room there for right turners to get past them.*) It certainly doesn’t merit a traffic light, but they need to ban parking in front of the daycare. It’s all about the lack of sight lines.

* The situation could also be improved if those left turners coming out the main exit wouldn’t pull to the right to make their left turns. Why do people do that? (In lots of places, not just this one.)

Screaming brakes also indicates that maybe someone was travelling too fast on Valley. Maybe more speeding enforcement is needed along there. 

Or people could just learn to slow down a little.

The parking spaces in front of the daycare center are legal. Some authority (county? township?) moved them back a little to try to open up more of a sight line, but that doesn't seem to have changed the number of crashes. And I'm sure the parents dropping off infants would - for understandable reasons - complain if they had to park on Hixon and walk across Valley with their babies. (There is a crosswalk, but does anyone slow down or stop??) 

I doubt Blink would want to turn over some of their parking spaces to the Totri parents. So I just don't see what would work there. And frankly, it's not my problem since I know to avoid that exit from Stop and Shop. But (to channel my grandmother) mark my words, folks. There's going to be an ugly accident there - hopefully not fatal. And that's when they'll find a solution.

Here is a picture from Google maps.  There is no parking allowed from the Totri front doors to the intersection.  Cars are frequently parked beyond the front doors illegally. We need parking enforcement among other things.

yahooyahoo said:

Here is a picture from Google maps.  There is no parking allowed from the Totri front doors to the intersection.  Cars are frequently parked beyond the front doors illegally. We need parking enforcement among other things.

a bump out of the sidewalk would keep people from parking there.  In that photo, it appears that if people parked only in the legal section, there would be sufficient visibility for most accidents to be avoided.

I agree, its sight-line blockage that is the problem. So, get clear where the legal parking stops. Call S.O.P.D., non-emergency number and ask for a summons to be written for illegally parked cars. A couple of those and the day care center will put a notice on their desk to warn the parents.

If the S.O. cops had time to waste, having two cops and a car, with one cop running out into the street and a second one, giving a summons to cars that did not stop, ... that actually did happen a few years ago.

Or contact the daycare center and tell them this is what you are going to do and that they may want to put signs on their door and desk to so advise their parent drivers.  Reservoir Pizza has such signs on their door and counter about parking in the corner lot.

-- like Rivoli's grandmother used to say......

ah - makes sense now - there's always illegally parked cars there.  Even a right turn can be tricky.  I often sneak through the CVS lot for a better sight line.

I believe the doors shown in the picture are for the nail salon and Apt residents. FWIW, if a larger SUV is parked legally, you still cannot see very well. Best to exit through CVS for better sight lines.

Mountainchef said:

I believe the doors shown in the picture are for the nail salon and Apt residents. FWIW, if a larger SUV is parked legally, you still cannot see very well. Best to exit through CVS for better sight lines.

 This is very true, for most of the time. But know that it doesn't work so well when CHS is dismissing, because that's where quite a few cars are waiting to pick up students. Some driven by adults, some by kids who are giving others a lift. I got caught in there the other day; couldn't get past them to exit, couldn't turn around to go out one of the other exits. So now, I just avoid that area between 2:20 and 3:15 or so. 

Rivoli said:

The parking spaces in front of the daycare center are legal. Some authority (county? township?) moved them back a little to try to open up more of a sight line, but that doesn't seem to have changed the number of crashes. And I'm sure the parents dropping off infants would - for understandable reasons - complain if they had to park on Hixon and walk across Valley with their babies. (There is a crosswalk, but does anyone slow down or stop??) 

I doubt Blink would want to turn over some of their parking spaces to the Totri parents. So I just don't see what would work there. And frankly, it's not my problem since I know to avoid that exit from Stop and Shop. But (to channel my grandmother) mark my words, folks. There's going to be an ugly accident there - hopefully not fatal. And that's when they'll find a solution.

 There are plenty of spaces in that lot, and they aren’t specific to Blink that I’ve noticed. I park very close to the rear of the daycare for Stop & Shop frequently and have not noticed any shortage of spaces at that end toward CVS.