Boulevard East, the venerable road that carries motorists from the north end of North Bergen through Weehawken, has become a haven for speeders and drivers that run red lights, according to West New York resident John Doublier.
“You have to act as a ‘defensive pedestrian’ when you walk anywhere in this town,” said Doublier last week.
Perhaps because Boulevard East is seen as mainly a quick conduit to get from the north to the southern points of Hudson County, folks tend to drive quickly and seemingly without regard to traffic laws.
“I call a lot of the people that drive on Boulevard East ‘Red-Light Russian Rouletters,’ ” said Doublier. “I define that term as a driver who decides to take their chances after a good solid three seconds has gone by after the light has changed to red.”
Doublier has sent letters to the West New York Police over a three-year period. In the letters, Doublier has complained vociferously about a myriad of traffic-related issues, but the one that concerns him the most is the folks that blatantly run red lights.
“This just doesn’t happen in Bergen County,” said Doublier recently. “I don’t know why, but this seems to be a Hudson County phenomenon.”
In one of the letters Doublier sent to West New York Police Director Joseph Pelliccio, Doublier stated, “I have lived in different parts of the United States (Bergen County is not like this) and in several European countries, but have never seen anything like the disrespect for and defiance of traffic light regulations that we see here in West New York.”
Director Pelliccio has met with Doublier and the problem has been discussed, but the police department does not possess the resources to catch every person that runs a red light.
Pelliccio said the West New York Police have taken steps to combat the problem. Said Pelliccio in a recent telephone interview, “We have a radar trailer (a lighted digital sign that is linked to a radar gun and flashes the speed of approaching vehicles) that we have had set up recently on Boulevard East in the last two weeks. We also have an officer stationed at various locations on Boulevard East. He starts at 5:30, seven days a week. We do have an order out for our guys to watch out for people that run red lights.”
On a recent afternoon, The Reporter spent some time with Doublier on Boulevard East and witnessed first-hand these “Red-Light Russian Rouletters.” On many occasions, a car would cruise through a yellow light, only to be followed by another two vehicles, seemingly following the first car even though the light had changed. Some vehicles cruised through the red lights a full three seconds after the light changed.
And perhaps most disturbingly, one more than one occasion, The Reporter witnessed New Jersey Transit buses and commuter vans actually accelerating to beat red lights.
While the worst intersections seemed to be 51st and 54th and Boulevard East, the problem is by no means relegated to Boulevard East. A casual stroll west on 54th Street toward Park Avenue reveals much the same problem. This is especially disturbing as 54th and Park Avenue has three schools within 500 feet of the intersection: School No. 2, St. Joseph’s of the Palisades Catholic High School, and Memorial High School.
Crossing guards agree
Crossing guards posted at the intersection stated that they routinely see motorists running red lights. Said one who wished to remain anonymous, “Oh yeah! People run the red light all the time. It’s very common.”
Added the guard, “Every once in a while you’ll see a cop give a ticket for that but only when they see it.”
And that, said Doublier, is exactly the problem.
“I understand that they can’t be everywhere at once, but if they put a concerted effort into addressing this problem, maybe these ‘Red Light Russian Rouletters’ would get the message,” he said.
Added Doublier, “I believe that the towns of North Bergen, Guttenberg, Union City, West New York and Weehawken should get together and create speed traps that find the people that are doing this.”
It should be noted that as recently as last week, Weehawken placed a speed trap on Hackensack Plank Road, a hilly road that brings traffic down into Hoboken. A speed sign was erected and officers were stationed at the bottom of the hill, giving out summonses to drivers who exceeded the posted 25 mph speed limit.
And it is just such a trap that Doublier and other residents of Boulevard East are looking for.
According to Police Director Pelliccio, relief is on the way. Said Pelliccio, “My biggest concern is the pedestrians. Not that I don’t care about car accidents, but pedestrians are so vulnerable. We pay a lot of attention to this, but if there is a need, we will pay even more attention to it in the future. We will take action on this.”