From the April - May  2001 Edition 

Letters on Parking and Transportation   Train Crossing Safety  Hello, I want to express my concern about Fair Lawn Avenue, I am sure after the horrible train accident, everyone is upset. there must be something done about the whole "Fair Lawn Avenue" set-up. there always seems to be an excuse on the part of the council. some say it is the state who owns Fair Lawn Avenue. Others say it is the county who owns Fair Lawn Avenue quite frankly, I couldn't care less who owns it.  For all town residents concerned, the elderly, the young mothers with babies crossing the street, the very slow or the handicapped, do something before another death occurs!!! Zak Note from the Editor:  See article from the Archives   Route 4 / Saddle River Road and Route 20  I am very impressed with the new format of the newsletter. It's even better looking and easier to use than some big commercial sites. I always find great info when I visit. I took special interest in all the transportation stories. Having grown up in Glen Rock, I am pleased to see that the Rt 4/Saddle River Road entrance is finally being fixed.   I also look forward to the connected bike paths. Please let us know when they are completed.) I've been driving to NJPAC for the symphony for several years and just recently had a chance to use the Rt 21 connection off Rt 20. It was terrific. I think it will cut 5 -10 minutes off the trip. I was pleased to hear that the direct train service to Manhattan may increase property values in Fair Lawn. It is a trade off for the increased congestion in the area. Thanks for making a wonderful valuable web site that makes me proud to be from Fair Lawn.  Ilene K.   Route 20/ 21  I use the connection of Routes 20 and 21 to Newark. I mediate twice a month in Newark for the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and need to go to Newark. I avoid the commuter traffic on Routes 17, 3 or the Garden State which I used to encounter and save about 10 to 15 minutes each way. Thanks for adding me to your [notification] list. I already spread the word about your great site for Fair Lawn news. Best wishes,  Phil Zimmerman   [Note from the Editor: To get notified for future editions, just send an e- mail to editor@fairlawnnews.com]     Mini-Bus Reliability Has anyone taken a reliability survey of the mini-bus? I’ve heard from some elderly residents that they cannot count on the mini-bus keeping to the schedule, or missing whole runs entirely.  E&E   Broadway Station  I'm so glad to hear that the Broadway Station is going to be kept open. I am a resident of Fair Lawn and prior to getting married I commuted to NYC through the Radburn station. But after I bought a house of my own in Fair Lawn, I started commuting using the Broadway Station. When I first started using this station there were not that many commuters getting on at this stop (that was three years ago), but since then I noticed the large volume of commuters frequenting this station. It seems that more and more people are using Fair Lawn (both Radburn and Broadway) stations to commute to NYC. I think this shows a great need to keep both stations open. Hopefully, the improvement of the Broadway Station will include a shelter that will protect the commuters from the elements. Thank you for listening,  Rita Adamian (Interested Resident of Fair Lawn and Commuter)     Cell Phone and Driving  I was very pleased to read that if you talk on your cell phone while you're driving through Marlboro Township NJ you must make sure you use a hands-free phone. The Township Council voted Thursday night to make this central New Jersey community of 32,000 the first in the state to ban drivers from using handheld phones. The fine is up to $250. Council Vice President Barry Denkensohn said it was in the public interest to prevent injuries and save lives. Also that if the township could save just one life with this ordinance, then they'd have done their jobs as elected officials. The 4-0 vote came two days after a Pennsylvania judge struck down a similar ordinance, ruling that Hilltown Township could not pre-empt state motor vehicle laws. I believe Brooklyn, Ohio, enacted the country's first such law last March. A 1997 study published in the New England Journal of Medicine found that talking on a phone while driving quadrupled the risk of an accident and was almost as dangerous as being drunk behind the wheel. We have 2 major highways running thru Fair Lawn i.e. Routes 208 and 4. Anything that can be done to make driving on these roads a safer experience should be a high priority for this administration. I would like this council to consider a similar cell phone ban in Fair Lawn to prevent injuries and save lives. The township will save lives with this ordinance and that should be a high priority for the council.  Keith Brown   Overnight Parking  When we first bought our older colonial cape (on 50 x 100 property), my husband and I had no children. Therefore, it was not an issue to us that overnight on-street parking was prohibited. We now have three children and in another decade we could have 5 drivers trying to line up 5 cars in our narrow driveway. I can't help but feel that people who have newer homes on WIDER PROPERTIES with DOUBLE WIDE DRIVEWAYS lack sensitivity to the hardship this ordinance causes people with narrow driveways.  Beth Wyler   Overnight Parking  The ban IS archaic if the ban is for safety reasons, do criminals only operate between the hours of 2-5 am and not on weekends or holidays, the same for the need for emergency vehicles? What about aesthetics, do we need to have to the town uncluttered for night visitors, as once was stated by one of our former councilmen-er people!  Harold Vogel (59 yr. Borough resident)   See Transportation Articles See other Letters to The Editor     What Do You Think?: Send an e- mail to editor@fairlawnnews.com or post a message on the Fair Lawn News Discussion Forum.