Dear Editor:
Last week’s Reporter had a letter from Fr. Santora castigating the city’s director of transportation and parking for the improvements on Jackson Street. I respectfully take issue.
Yes, traffic is a mess. It is so for many reasons. Among them is that for years traffic engineers have focused on moving cars when they should be focused on moving people.
Now the city is lucky to have Ian Sacs a traffic engineer who understands the big picture and strives to make the streets safe and functional for all of us, those who go about our business in cars, on bicycles and on foot. For his troubles, the local clergy treats him as if he were a heretic.
Before tying him to the stake, Fr. Santora should have taken a look at Complete Streets’ web site, www.completestreets.org. There he would see that Mr. Sacs is not the only one trying to fix the mess our car-centered culture has us in.
At the Jackson/Observer intersection pedestrians are no longer faced with three lanes of onrushing traffic, and crashes are substantially reduced. Meanwhile, traffic counts show the same number of motor vehicles clearing in the same time frame as before.
As for Santora’s statement about the bicycle lane being “dangerous to say the least,” we bicyclists appreciate his concern but find it grossly overstated. I use the lane often and am much more comfortable than before. Those who would be uncomfortable have the option of using the sidewalk.
Mr. Sacs is the one with his feet on the ground as far as I am concerned.
James Vance
Hoboken Sweet Street