Photo Courtesy City of East Orange
EAST ORANGE – In collaboration with East Orange Mayor Ted Green, Councilwoman Adrienne Wooten from the City of Orange, and Essex County, Assemblywoman Britnee N. Timberlake held a press conference to highlight the dangerous conditions on Freeway Drive East and West that extend through East Orange and Orange. These representatives are asking the state to join in the efforts to provide real-time solutions to the public safety crisis on this major roadway.
Representing the City of Orange alongside Councilwoman Wooten were Captain Brian Mooney and Lieutenant Greg Johnson of the Orange Police department and Private Michael Dawson from the Orange Fire department. Mayor Green was joined by East Orange Public Safety Director Maurice Boyd and Police Chief Phyllis Bindi, who spoke directly about what has been done in recent years to address this issue at the local level.
Assemblywoman Britnee N. Timberlake opened the press conference by offering her plea for something to be done so that no more families lose a loved one due to a traffic accident.
“There has been an unacceptable number of fatalities and other injuries that have occurred here on Freeway Drive. We need common sense solutions such as delayed traffic lights, interactive ADA crosswalk signage, identifying blind spots for pedestrians and drivers, banning skateboards and bikes, and fixing crumbling sidewalks for our residents,” said Assemblywoman Timberlake.
Mayor Ted Green of the City of East Orange also shared remarks on the call for action “I want to thank our great Assemblywoman for bringing this issue to the attention of so many. In collaboration with our neighbors in the City of Orange, we have been working very hard here in the great City of East Orange to make sure our residents can safely travel across Freeway Drive and make it back home to their families,” said Mayor Green. “Our outreach today is to broadcast the sense of urgency and ensure that action is taken from a public safety perspective here on Freeway Drive East and West.”
Councilwoman Adrienne Wooten of the City of Orange attended the press conference on behalf of Mayor Dwayne D. Warren, Esq., and offered remarks regarding the severity of the issue. “Today I stand in solidarity with Assemblywoman Timberlake as she seeks relief for our resident’s safety as they travel Freeway Drive,” said Councilwoman Wooten. “I want to thank the Assemblywoman for tackling this very important transportation issue.”
East Orange Public Safety Director Maurice Boyd provided staggering statistics regarding the number of incidents on Freeway Drive in recent years. “As the Assemblywoman mentioned earlier, there have been 994 accidents on Freeway Drive in the past four years alone,” said Director Boyd. “Our public safety division has increased vehicle enforcement as well as signage to encourage vehicular traffic to slow down.”
Representing Essex County was Director & County Engineer Director Sanjeev Varghese, who highlighted work the county has done to understand the needs of Freeway Drive better. “The county has created recommendations to mitigate accidents on Freeway Drive,” said Director Varghese. “We are asking the state to fund these efforts and put this issue at the top of their priority list for short- and long-term solutions.”
Chief Phyllis L. Bindi also attended the press conference to discuss the role of the police department in reducing the number of accidents on Freeway Drive. “Although we saw a decrease in the number of accidents last year, this type of collaboration will get us to a place where we feel comfortable about the public safety of our citizens,” stated Chief Bindi.
