We read with interest the cover story on the Parking Authority's study on traffic. While my family and I are pleased that the town is tackling the terrible state of congestion here, we think they may have missed the point entirely.
The problem is too many cars. Creating longer roads and bigger thoroughfares only makes it easier for cars and trucks to travel through town. Hoboken is residential, not a viaduct between the Holland and Lincoln Tunnels. Our number one priority should be the safety of the residents, particularly our children. This means creating a deterrent to out-of-towners looking for a way to avoid the toll on the turnpike or the nightmare on Tonnelle Avenue.
Stop signs don't seem to make a difference and "Slow Children at Play," signs are routinely ignored by drivers going way too fast through our streets. In fact, I don't know if there is even a speed limit posted anywhere in Hoboken for drivers to disregard.
But there is a way to stop the rush hour madness that pervades our streets. They are easy to install, remarkably effective and don't require $9.3 million of taxpayers' money. They are called speed bumps. They should be installed just after many intersections of the most absurd roadways, namely Bloomfield, Garden and Park. They will keep drivers from accelerating for the joyride of three uninterrupted stop-sign free streets. It will give kids walking to school a chance to cross without running, and it will send a message once and for all that Hoboken is a family town that cares about the people who live here.
Start with the 1200 block of Bloomfield where we have 20 kids under four and I'll let you know how it goes. Slowly, I bet.
Amy Kleisner
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