Road Safety Study Approved By Chatham Township Council

CHATHAM, NJ — The Chatham Township Committee authorized a future safety study of the intersection of Fairmount Avenue and Mountainview Road, due to raised concerns about speeding.

Members of the committee acknowledged that there have been complaints about the intersection of Mountainview Road and Fairmount Avenue's safety, vehicular speed and conditions. The section of Mountainview Road closest to Fairmount Avenue, in particular, is known as a school bus stop or children's waiting area for school buses.

The purpose of the traffic study is to evaluate this intersection, which has a rounded corner that may not properly calm traffic turning off Fairmount Avenue and onto Mountainview Road.

"The design of the intersection may be drawing traffic closer to the bus waiting area on Mountainview Road than necessary," the board said.

The traffic study will conduct a thorough examination of the roadway intersection design and may reveal improvements that can be planned for and implemented immediately or in conjunction with the upcoming paving project of Mountainview Road.

The committee's goal with the traffic study is to improve the safety of children waiting for a school bus in the area, particularly by calming traffic as it turns onto Mountainview Road.

A similar concern was expressed at the last town council meeting in neighboring Morristown when several residents commented on "excessive speeding" near roads frequently used by students walking to and from school during the day.

The start date of the road safety study has not been determined, according to the committee.

Other items approved by the committee included the purchase of new surveillance cameras and license-plate readers for Esternay Field. The new technology will give the public more access to Esterany, which is frequently barricaded to prevent vandalism and entry when the field is closed at night.

New "situational awareness" cameras will also increase safety and allow the barricade to be removed during the day.

The committee also agreed to grant the Chatham Township Police Department access to the Nash and Shunpike fields' lighting controls. The police previously had access to manual control of the lights, which has now been replaced by new technology.

The access grants the police access in the event of an emergency and does not supersede existing schedules or controls, according to the committee.