Mayor Skibitsky Jeopardizes Safety of School Children

     Years ago, Westfield Mayor Andy Skibitsky, and members of his town council, voted to approve a pedestrian crossing at the intersection of Cambridge Rd. and Central Ave.
     Cambridge Road was turned into a dead-end/cul-de-sac, making the pedestrian crossing a "mid-block crossing" which statistics have proven to be a more dangerous location for a crossing instead of locating it at an intersection.
     While Mayor Skibitsky will insist that the mid-block crossing is "a safer location," he has never provided any engineering report, study, or other documentation to support his opinion.
TFoTM provided statistics, reports, and a study done by the inventor of the HAWK pedestrian light installed on Central Ave., proving that a crossing at the nearest intersection of Clover and Central is a safer location.  Unfortunately, Mayor Skibitsky's political game outweighed common sense and professional advice.  Skibitsky sacrificed safety for his own political gain.
     Mayor Skibitsky burdened an elderly Central Ave. homeowner with a new sidewalk on the opposite side of the street from the Cambridge Rd. cul-de-sac.  As a result, the homeowner is subject to the Westfield town ordinance requiring her to have the sidewalk shoveled within 24 hours after a snow storm.
     She has abided by the town ordinance ever since the sidewalk was constructed, having the sidewalk cleared as well as the ADA (American with Disabilities Act) handicapped ramp in front of her property.
     The ADA ramp located on the opposite side of Central Ave., at the cul-de-sac constructed closed street of Cambridge Rd. is pictured below.  A full 3 days (72 hours) after this past weekend's snowstorm ended, the ADA ramp on town owned property has yet to be shoveled.
     This in not the first time this hazard has jeopardized the safety of school children and adults using the crosswalk at the HAWK pedestrian crossing.
     The Mayor has consistently inflated the number of school children and pedestrians that use the crossing in an attempt to justify the crossings existence, stating that "hundreds of people use the crossing each month."
     If in fact, Mayor Skibitsky's "guesstimate" were true, wouldn't he want the ADA ramp cleared of snow for the "hundreds" of people crossing Central Ave. each month, at this location?
     The fact of the matter is.....before the town adds another snow related town ordinance to the books as they did recently, regarding the removal of vehicles from parking in the roadway during a snow storm of 3 inches or more, how about enforcing the ones on the books now.
     How about practicing what you preach Mayor Skibitsky, at the "safest location" for the HAWK pedestrian crossing.  Shovel the ADA ramp, Mayor.
     Residents are still waiting for acting Mayor Jo Ann Neylan to distribute pamphlets to pedestrians/motorists/residents educating them on the procedures to follow when the HAWK pedestrian light is activated and the unique lighting sequence commences after a pedestrian pushes the crossing button to activate the light.   She suggested that years ago, at a town council meeting, after a disproportionate number of motor vehicle accidents were occurring immediately after the HAWK light was installed.

     Don't hold your breath waiting.

HAWK Pedestrian Crossing on Central Ave. at Cambridge Rd.
(72 hours after this weekends snowstorm)