Third District Meeting: Vision Zero, Crime Prevention, Sustainability

Third District Councilman Rahum Williams hosted a town hall meeting Thursday where residents heard three presentations covering Montclair's Vision Zero Task Force, tips for staying safe at home from police and developments from the Office of Sustainability.

Norma Tassy, ​​the municipality's administrative director, gave the first presentation, speaking as a member of the Vision Zero Task Force. The force is made up of municipal employees and active community members. Their goal is to ensure the safety of everyone on the roads while emphasizing that “zero is the only acceptable number of traffic-related deaths or injuries.”

The city has installed rectangular, fast-flashing beacons throughout the Third Ward to signal cars to stop for pedestrians. There are currently three in a row on Walnut Street, three in a row at Church Street Circle, one at South Fullerton and two in Claremont. The city determined the locations through traffic studies based on police data and complaints from residents.

Montclair's streets

Over the past two years, traffic studies have been conducted in various areas of Montclair. Tassy provided the following examples:

• 24 Hillside Avenue – 16,591 vehicles were analyzed, 331 violations were punishable, making the intersection a low-risk intersection
• 208 Harrison Avenue – 53,596 vehicles were analyzed, with fewer than 10,000 criminal violations, making it a medium-risk intersection

A resident asked what the municipality is doing to curb these violations.

“The main reason I brought the data from the traffic studies is because I wanted to say that there is a systems approach that takes into account behavior on the road, police and people, and that influences the outcome on our roads,” Tassy said.

Tassy said speed limits in all Montclair school zones have been reduced to 20 mph by ordinance. DCS, which received the speed limit signs, will install the new limit signs before the start of the school year.

Tassy reviewed the Department of Community Services' road construction program for maintaining municipal roads. Tassy said the city will switch from poured concrete to Belgian block curbs because the Belgian blocks are less costly to maintain. She said residents can report roads in need of repair through DCS. Milling and paving work can only be done when the weather is good and is subject to budget constraints.

Crime prevention

Lieutenant Tyrone Williams of the Montclair Police Department introduced Officer Callum Higgins and Officer Erica Peterson for their crime prevention presentation. Their tips focused on how residents can protect themselves and their property:

• Lock the doors to your homes.
• Make sure your house and especially the house number are illuminated.
• Secure clutter in your garden.
• Install a home security system.
• Install surveillance cameras.
• Call 911 if you notice anything suspicious.
• When you go on vacation, lock your doors, hide spare keys, and set timer settings for lights inside and outside your home. Inform your neighbors that you will be away.
• Maintain a 9pm routine. Take five minutes every night to make sure your doors and car are locked. Turn on the outside lights and set the alarm.
• Get to know your neighbors.

Higgins explained how the Montclair Police Dept.'s home security investigation works. An officer comes to a resident's home, inspects the property and offers advice on how to make their home safer.

Enlarging the Montclair treetops

Lisa Johnson, Environmental and Code Coordinator for the Office of Sustainability, gave the closing presentation. She announced that the city has received a grant from the USDA (US Forest Service) to increase the city's tree canopy. The grant is for five years and Montclair received one million dollars.

The Office of Sustainability will award a quarter of the grant to Montclair State University to increase youth employment and participation. Each summer for the next four years, a Green Team from the Institute of Sustainability will be at Montclair State University. This is a 10-week program in which students work on various sustainability-related projects.

Johnson said her office has created a list of trees that need trimming and plans for planting new trees. She also asked residents to tell her where trees should be planted on public property. Johnson provided her email address ([email protected]).

Johnson then discussed PSEG's Home Energy Efficiency Program. Some residents may be eligible for a free or low-cost energy audit. If a resident has Medicare, they are automatically eligible for a free energy audit and free upgrades. The audit includes a review of the home's insulation, light fixtures and appliances, windows/doors, heating and cooling systems, and health and safety measures. This promotion is only available to the first 50 residents who complete an energy audit.

Johnson concluded the presentation by announcing Essex County Household Hazardous Waste Day, which will be held on November 9 in Cedar Grove.

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