City wants engineer’s study of proposed stop sign

By Linda Seida, Staff Writer
   LAMBERTVILLE — Members of the City Council agreed Monday they will not install a new stop sign at Alexander Avenue and Phillips-Barber Road until a traffic engineer performs a study of the intersection.
   Some residents of Lambert’s Hill, a new housing development constructed by Orleans Homebuilders a few years ago, have asked for the new stop sign. They say there are many near collisions, and the yield signs there often are ignored.
   Others, including those who live farther up Music Mountain, don’t think a stop sign is necessary.
   Police Director Bruce Cocuzza estimated police have responded to only one accident there in the last three years.
   Councilman Ron Pittore said he was “not comfortable” installing a stop sign without first having a traffic engineer study the intersection.
   Councilwoman Cynthia Ege said she, too, could not support a stop sign without having a professional first look at the area.
   Council President Steven Stegman said the concern over the intersection has been generated by traffic going up the hill, but Mrs. Ege said traffic in general is raising residents’ concern.
   A hairpin turn greets drivers on the mountain, and there are several other complications.
   The Lambertville-New Hope Ambulance and Rescue Squad is located there and averages four calls a day. About 200 vehicles a day also visit the Phillips-Barber Family Health Center on Alexander Avenue. A few years ago, a new entry road to Lambert’s Hill was added to the mix.
   The council agreed to ask Orleans to pay for the traffic study. But Tuesday morning, Mayor Del Vecchio said he intends to investigate other sources of funding, including the New Jersey Department of Transportation.
   ”The one thing everyone agrees on is the intersection is poorly designed,” Mayor Del Vecchio said.
   After a funding source has been identified, the city will engage the services of a traffic engineer, he said.