Politics & Government

Council, Residents Question Safety of Overgrown Intersection

Locals are commenting that the intersection at Airmount Park might be made safer by some tree trimming.

By Patch Editor Jessica Mazzola

Recent discussions about what can be done to make one accident-prone intersection in Mahwah safer have prompted local government officials and residents alike to question how another township intersection could be improved.

Last month, the township council discussed possible improvements to the intersection of Campgaw Road and Seminary Drive, one of which included enforcing a township ordinance requiring property owners to cut back trees or other plantings that interfere with drivers’ sight distance.

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During the council discussion, members brought up the intersection of Airmont Avenue and Airmount Road, across the street from Airmount Park, as another area that has overgrown shrubbery interfering with drivers' ability to see on the roadway.

Though the council did not take any formal action regarding the intersection, council members did question whether or not they could enforce the trimming ordinance near Seminary Drive without also enforcing it near Airmount, and suggesting it might look to regulate this intersection in the future.

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The discussion has prompted some buzz on the topic from local residents.

Mahwah resident Tom Cammorato wrote to Patch this week expressing his concerns about the intersection.

“The intersection of Airmount Road and Airmount Avenue where Airmount Park is has been a hazard for all the seven years I have visited and now live in Mahwah,” Cammorato wrote. “I travel to NY through that intersection and find myself in the traveling lane of Airmount Avenue in order to see if I can make my left turn. On a number of occasions, I have missed being involved in an accident with my truck and motorcycle because of the overgrown bushes [on the corner].”

Cammorato, who said he is retired from the NJ Department of Transportation, suggested that if trees and shrubs are being trimmed in one township intersection, that rule should apply to this one, too. 

“Picking and choosing what sight distances to regulate is not an option,” he said in his letter. 

Patch is curious, do you think this intersection would be made safer by some tree and shrub trimming? Any others in town that you feel could use the same treatment? Tell us in the comments section below.


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