Humble Suggestion for Maplewood Village

Why not make the center of maplewood car free?

gerritn said:

Why not make the center of maplewood car free?

 Define "center of Maplewood".  Which  blocks would it include?  What exceptions if any would be made for the mobility challenged, deliveries, emergency vehicles, people who live on the vehicle free streets?  Where would you put the parking lots that normally surround pedestrian malls?  What detours would you put in place for traffic needing to pass through the center of Maplewood to get to other destinations?  

If you make the Avenue one way southbound, there would be no more illegal left turns into angled spots and pedestrians would only have to look 1 way.  

joan_crystal said:

 Define "center of Maplewood".  Which  blocks would it include?  What exceptions if any would be made for the mobility challenged, deliveries, emergency vehicles, people who live on the vehicle free streets?  Where would you put the parking lots that normally surround pedestrian malls?  What detours would you put in place for traffic needing to pass through the center of Maplewood to get to other destinations?  

 Take out the movie house, the former King's building and the bank (nobody uses it no more). There's your parking lot. 

Take out Starbucks/Lorena's (in memory of Author), the back half of Village coffee and Arturo's. There, ya got your space for two way traffic. 

Now, you can close Maplewood Avenue for a pedestrian mall.

Jaytee said:

 It is hazardous because it is right at the curve in valley. I don’t think a stop light would help people from getting hit in the crosswalk there. Drivers go around the curve too fast. The only solution that might work for everyone is a stop light and crosswalk at every single intersection along valley. 

 Are you wanting stop signs or traffic lights or the illuminated stop signs.

A pedestrian bridge?

Formerlyjerseyjack said:

 Are you wanting stop signs or traffic lights or the illuminated stop signs.

 Lights. Traffic lights.

bub said:

If you make the Avenue one way southbound, there would be no more illegal left turns into angled spots and pedestrians would only have to look 1 way.  

 This was brought up before. I think it’s a great idea. Northbound should be along the train tracks from baker to ricalton. With speed bumps.

Heynj said:

Once, though not in Maplewood, I had the right of way in a crosswalk at a light when an older man in a sedan cut in front of me. I am not small or thin, and there is no way he did not see me in the broad daylight. I was inches from his driver side window, which was completely rolled down. Though I know it was immature, inappropriate, dangerous and probably illegal, I happened to have a closed umbrella in my hand and slammed the handle down on his trunk. He had been in the middle of screaming at me, and it did have the effect of stopping him mid word. It must have made a terrible noise, and I like to think it may have even left a dent.

I was in a crosswalk in Chicago and had the right of way.  A driver decided to beat me through the intersection. As he drove by, I slapped his side window as hard as I could (that's how close he was).  I hope it scared the sh#t out of him.

A guy I used to work with saw someone throw trash out of a car stopped at a city light. He picked up the trash and threw it back through the open window. Got the living crap beaten out of him.

vdfam said:

 Higher Power have mercy!!! I didn't mean that as a challenge!

 That's what happens when you say it's okay to break the law if you can do it smoothly.  Someone will believe you mean it and that your opinion is the law.

Or how about all the cars that turn on Valley and baker when there is a no turn on red sign. Cops would have a field day giving out tickets . 

krnl said:

Or, pedestrians could follow the common sense adage 'look right and left, then wait until it is safe to cross.'

Seriously -- I think sometimes I'm the only one around here who was raised to wait for a break in traffic. The laws of NJ don't overrule the laws of physics, and I'd rather wait for a safe opening than wander willy-nilly out into the roadway "secure" in the knowledge that the law says you can't hit me.