MOUNTAINSIDE, NJ — During a virtual work session on Tuesday, Oct. 5, Mountainside Mayor Paul Mirabelli and council members discussed whether or not a traffic light is needed at the intersection of Deer Path and Watchung Road Tracy Drive, also known as W.R. Tracy Drive, due to the danger of the intersection.
Borough administrator Glenn Mortimer said the issue was brought up by a resident who had concerns involving the intersection.
“Councilwoman Rachel Pater was contacted by a resident who brought attention to what he believed was a potentially dangerous situation at the intersection of Deer Path and W.R. Tracy Drive,” Mortimer said on Tuesday, Oct. 5, during the meeting. “Councilwoman Pater contacted me to do some research on this topic. I also spoke to the resident myself. (Police) Chief (Joseph) Giannuzzi helped me out by looking at any traffic problems in that area. (I) really didn’t find a need, at least for the past three or four years from accident reports, where a traffic light would’ve made a difference.”
Giannuzzi agreed with Mortimer that he saw no use for a traffic light at the intersection.
“Today, we did another search going back as far as 2016,” Giannuzzi said on Tuesday, Oct. 5. We found no accidents at that intersection in 2017, we found no accidents in 2018 and just the other ones that we had already previously turned over. I don’t remember any serious accidents in that intersection that would have been prevented with a traffic light. I know, for inclement weather, the county shuts Tracy Drive down, so that roadway is shut for public use during the ice and snow events.
“As the traffic comes down Deer Path, it’s coming down a grade on icy and snowy days, and to have to stop for a traffic light at that intersection would be difficult,” he continued. “It would also be difficult for (some) having to maintain the grade coming down, pull up on the upside of the hill, but heading down toward the highway. They would not be able to stop for that traffic light. So, presently, I don’t see a need for that right now or enough evidence to support it.”
Councilman Steven Matejek said he goes through that intersection multiple times every day and agreed with the police chief’s assessment about the difficulty of stopping at a traffic signal coming down the hill around the turn.
“That doesn’t seem to be particularly dangerous,” said Matejek on Tuesday, Oct. 5. “Like any intersection, exercise caution. Maybe some of the shrubbery can be cut back a bit. I don’t know if that’s the county’s responsibility, but that’s my opinion on the matter.”
Councilwoman Deanna Andre agreed with Giannuzzi and Matejek, seeing no use for a traffic light at the intersection.
Mirabelli suggested that Public Works Director Matthew DeAnna see about the brush in that area and contact the county if action needed to be taken, and DeAnna agreed to do that. Mortimer said he’d report the steps that were being taken to the resident who had expressed a concern.