New Traffic Signal at New Intersection....ADINA DRIVE?

                                                    There is not one single over the roadway traffic light in Westfield that is located mid-block on any street. Westfield now has its first, located on Central Avenue just south of Clover St.  Can’t miss the location, there are a plethora of signs warning motorists and pedestrians of its location and its accompanying crosswalk, not to mention the intersecting driveway of Adina Enculescu. 

Perhaps the Mayor, backed by the Westfield Town Council, can pass an ordinance renaming Adina Enculescu’s driveway to Adina Drive.  How about Enculescu Avenue?  An ordinance could officially turn her driveway into an intersection with Central Ave.  In doing so, the Town, or is it the County, could then install another sign…a ”Dead End” sign at the base of her driveway/street to warn unsuspecting motorists that there is “No Outlet”……yet another sign.  Install “No Parking, Here To Corner” on both sides of Adina Drive.  More signage….”No Parking Anytime”.  Don’t forget about a “No Turn on Red” for a motorist waiting to make a right on red out of Adina Drive after they make a "K" turn out of this dead end. 

Snow removal on Adina Drive would then be the responsibility of the Town; so would pothole repair, and resurfacing projects…  Offset taxes by enforcing a speed limit on Adina Drive, maybe 10 MPH.  On second thought, Adina Dr. is only 30 ft. in length, what car can accelerate from 0 to 25mph within 30 ft.?  Maybe 5 mph is more appropriate.

Adina Drive could hold a block party every year with the Town having to loan only one barricade to shut the intersection of Central Ave. and Adina Drive for block party festivities.  Maybe Mayor Skibitsky and Councilman Ciarrocca would show up campaigning together, in Ward 3, for an upcoming election, shake hands, erect a campaign sign and make a promise to Mrs. Enculescu to secure her vote.  Maybe promise her that they will have the traffic light relocated.

There are several streets named after local war veterans.  After what the town has put this woman through, she deserves an honorary medal for combat. So as not to tarnish a war vets Presidential Medal of Honor, she could receive a local award, the Residential Medal of Merit. 

Residents are questioning the placement of this traffic light at the base of a residential driveway.  Many, say it makes no sense.  Mayor Skibitsky says the traffic light location reduces points of contact between motorists and pedestrians.  So does a traffic light at an intersection, with no turn on red, that stops traffic in all directions to allow pedestrians to cross the street safely. 

The fact of the matter is that this traffic light location befuddles the mind while contradicting common sense.  If there is no town ordinance passed establishing this driveway as a recognized street, may we suggest that Mrs. Enculescu construct a tollbooth at the base of her driveway and charge a toll fee to all that travel her private roadway.  After all, isn’t the Garden State Parkway a privately owned toll road?  Why not turn an otherwise engineering debacle into a profitable solution. 

The Mayor has insisted that this was a County project and has deferred all questions to the Union County Engineer.  So we ask, was this Traffic light a County project that was backed by the Mayor and Town Council?  Or, was it a Town project backed by County $$$ with Town Council influence?  Either way, in the near future, the Town of Westfield “owns” it.