No matter what measures are adopted by Lambertville, traffic calming is an effective way to make streets safer, said engineer Ian Lockwood.
By: Linda Seida
LAMBERTVILLE A variety of measures exist to calm traffic in the city, but not all of them will be appropriate for the city’s quaint and historic streets.
That was the message delivered by Ian Lockwood, an engineer with the Florida firm of Glatting Jackson, who met with residents last week at a public hearing held at the Lambertville-New Hope Ambulance and Rescue Squad.
No matter which measures are adopted by the city, traffic calming is an effective way to make streets safer for pedestrians, bicyclists and drivers, according to Mr. Lockwood.
"It tends to reduce speeding by 50 percent, all things being equal," he said.
In addition, studies have shown when a street’s speed limit is reduced from 31 mph to 15 mph, the "kill rate" falls from 37 percent to 3.5 percent, he said.
Mr. Lockwood on March 26 gave residents a presentation on the kinds of measures in use in other cities across the country. These include physically narrowing streets; visually narrowing streets or making them appear narrower so cars will slow down; and different types of pedestrian crossings and speed bumps, many of which are more visually pleasing and effective than those in place now.
He also was aware of the city’s critical problem with parking space or the lack of it. "I think we ought to find an opportunity on some of your streets to increase parking," he said.
Mr. Lockwood also fielded a question on snow removal, which in a storm such as the city experienced in February, impeded parking and intersections as it sat in 5- and 6-foot-high piles.
While no quick and easy answers were forthcoming, Mayor David Del Vecchio noted Mr. Lockwood, who is originally from Canada, is an expert on snow who wrote a professional paper on snow and snow removal.
Mr. Lockwood wanted residents to "poke holes" in his presentation, and poke holes they did. Their main objection was his study did not take into account the surge of weekend tourist traffic. He said he would love to come back and observe the city on a weekend.
Mr. Lockwood encouraged the city to preserve the quality of its streets.
"They should not be thought of as just a car conduit," he said. "They are where people live, where kids play, where they socialize, where they entertain," he said. "The nice thing about Lambertville is it hasn’t been damaged like so many other places in favor of foot traffic. The biggest public space asset are the streets. The waterfront is terrific. The three parks are fantastic.
"But most people, when they walk, are walking on the streets. People don’t go to parks every day, but they are on the streets every day. They live on streets. They have a more important relationship with their streets. Square footage-wise, they dwarf all the other areas."
Mr. Lockwood will return to the city at a future date to meet again with residents. He was not able to confirm an exact date and suggested residents check with City Hall.