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BY MICHAEL OLOHAN
OF NORTHERN VALLEY PRESS
Englewood’s city attorney sent a letter to Leonia informing its neighbor that the road closures to non-residents during rush hour were “under review” by the city council, and on Feb. 15 Leonia’s downtown merchants marched to Leonia’s borough hall to protest the “devastating impacts” of the closures on local businesses.
Following a lawsuit filed almost two weeks ago by an Edgewater resident questioning the constitutionality of Leonia’s road closings – 60 roads closed to non-residents between 5-9 a.m. and 4-8 p.m. – the city’s recent response and a revolt by Leonia’s business community is the latest pushback against Leonia’s efforts to minimize local traffic going to and from the George Washington Bridge.
Englewood’s city council meets Feb. 20 and is likely to consider additional measures to respond to road closures affecting its residents.
“The mayor and council are presently deliberating the next legal step to undertake regarding the Leonia traffic restrictions,” emailed City Manager Ed Hynes to a Ridgeland Terrace resident Feb. 11.
Hynes was responding to an email from Angelina Rivera, a Ridgeland Terrace resident whose home borders Leonia, and who detailed traffic congestion and delays since the closures.
Hynes’ email said possible city council options would be discussed in closed session “given the subject matter is potential litigation.”
On Feb. 6, residents were told by Mayor Frank Huttle that by informing Leonia police they were Englewood residents, and where they’re going in Leonia, that they will have access to all Leonia streets no matter time of day.
Rivera said she has “had many issues” including doubling of travel time to and from destinations due to closures.
“Quick stops to my pharmacy or market [in Leonia] are no longer quick unless I want to go extra early or late at night if open. Even worse, my family and I can’t even make a right off our own street and it’s not a one-way street. On top of this, the road closures have caused more traffic on Broad Avenue, Fort Lee Road, Grand Avenue and even Jones Road,” she wrote to Hynes.
$200 tickets possible
Rivera, who addressed the council when Leonia first began the closures, said, “we are all locals and we are being treated like outsiders, being pulled over and questioned for just driving on nearby streets and being threatened with $200 tickets.
“How has this happened and why are surrounding towns not fighting this?” she asked.
Business bust
On Feb. 14, Leonia Mayor Judah Zeigler said the off-putting “Do Not Enter” signs will be replaced with more welcoming signs to encourage non-resident motorists to continue to shop and visit their usual Leonia shops and restaurants, according to a statement.
Last Thursday, scores of Leonia merchants marched to Leonia Borough Hall to protest the negative impacts of 60 local road closures on their businesses. Zeigler said that the owners presented anecdotal data on revenue drops, even though he believes the new, more business-friendly signage being planned should help encourage non-residents to pass more easily into Leonia.
Originally, Leonia closed off 60 roads on Jan. 22 to reduce traffic during 6-10 a.m. and 4-9 p.m., nine hours a day seven days a week.
The closures were Leonia’s response to reduce heavy traffic traversing its residential streets due to navigational apps such as Google Maps and Waze that suggest shortcuts when traffic backs up leading to the George Washington Bridge.
These closures have improved traffic flow locally but appear to have unintended consequences on nearby Englewood.
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Ridgeland Terrace impacts
On Ridgeland Terrace, Diane Jansen and Rivera joined the Leonia merchants marching to protest the road closure impacts. Not being able to travel freely into or through Leonia has affected their quality of life.
“I feel that Leonia is a non-welcoming town. I cannot travel the direct route to Palisades Park, Fort Lee, Teaneck and Ridgefield. So I am boycotting Leonia altogether no matter the time of day,” emailed Jansen.
She said the street closures are an “erosion of our civil liberties. Closing a town’s 60 local streets to non-residents is not an option here in America.”
Another Ridgeland Terrace resident, Maggie Lic, said the road closures hamper non-local travelers “and makes it impossible to run our daily errands. Why should we spend our money in a town that blocks themselves from others? Why is it OK to do business in Leonia, but prohibited if we need to drive through Leonia?” she emailed.
“We all are facing traffic issues, we all are living in close proximity to New York City, and traffic is part of it. Most of us live here for a reason, and that reason comes with high taxes and a large volume of traffic. Leonia is not the only town that suffers from it,” Lic said.
Efforts to reach Hynes and Englewood City Attorney William Bailey for comment were not returned by press time.
Photos courtesy Angelina Rivera