'Residents and Leonia Destinations Only' to replace 'Do Not Enter' signs barring commuters

LEONIA — The Borough Council introduced a draft of new traffic signage on Wednesday, proposing a “Residents and Leonia Destinations Only” sign to replace the “Do Not Enter” signs barring non-resident commuters from 60 side streets.

Borough officials hope the sign changes will boost business in a downtown struggling with foot traffic after the launch last month of a public safety initiative prohibiting cut-through traffic to and from the George Washington Bridge.

“In hindsight, the ‘Do Not Enter’ signs were overly foreboding, and I think we have an opportunity to correct that,” Mayor Judah Zeigler said.

The borough paid $3,900 to install the red signs, Zeigler said. Replacing them with black-and-white signs, likely the size of speed limit signage, will cost an additional $2,500.

“I think this is a good starting point not only for the businesses but for the message that it sends out to the community as a whole,” Councilman Greg Makroulakis said.

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Business owners and their supporters have been vocal in their opposition to Leonia’s “Safe Street” program, rallying in front of Borough Hall last week to demand signage alterations and a reduction in the number of hours the road restrictions are in effect.

Some of them attended the council’s work session on Wednesday, mostly pleased with the changes but wanting more.

“I appreciate the new sign draft; it is better than before, but it’s still not enough for our survival,” said Jenny Kim, owner of Sylvan Grace Florist on Broad Avenue. “Remove the weekend restrictions, remove the afternoon restrictions. Everybody knows those hours are the essential hours for most commercial activities.”

Kim, a Leonia resident who lives on one of the streets included in the initiative, said she has experienced reduced traffic near her home but also has seen business plummet by 50 percent. Most of her customers come from neighboring towns, she said.

“I understand the frustrations of the residents, but I’m suffering, too,” Kim said. “I want to see a reasonable balance.”

The new traffic rules are in effect nine hours a day, from 6 to 10 a.m. and 4 to 9 p.m. The borough’s main thoroughfares — Fort Lee Road, Broad Avenue and Grand Avenue — remain open to all traffic.

Confusion over access to the downtown prompted the Borough Council on Wednesday also to introduce an amendment to the road closure ordinance, clarifying that “those traveling to and/or from Leonia destinations” are permitted to drive through the affected streets.

The Leonia Police Department has given 586 warnings to violators since the laws took effect on Jan. 22, said Chief Tom Rowe. It has not issued any tickets.

“This is not about enforcement, this is a tech initiative,” Rowe said. “It’s about reprogramming the navigation apps to make sure vehicles stay on the major roads or on the highways, where they belong.”

By traffic counts, the initiative is off to a successful start. Rowe said the number of vehicles passing through the borough during significant backups on the bridge has dropped by thousands.

“What we have achieved here is rendered the town very safe,” he said. “When we discussed this initiative, on a scale of one to 10, I thought this would be an eight as far as keeping traffic on the highways. It’s been about a 20.”

Email: shkolnikova@northjersey.com