BERGENFIELD — Borough officials are looking to form a traffic safety committee in the aftermath of a 10-year-old bicyclist's death on a local street.

The committee would consist of 12 members, including municipal officials and community representatives, meeting to discuss and implement traffic safety plans.

The ordinance to form the committee is up for a vote at the next council meeting, on Aug. 20. That's nearly three months after Alvin Maracallo was killed on Memorial Day when an NJ Transit bus hit him as he entered the crosswalk on West Church Street while the bus was making a left turn onto Veterans Plaza.

No charges were filed against the bus driver.

Mayor Norman Schmelz said that based on discussions he had with Schools Superintendent Christopher Tully and police, he wanted to form an ad hoc traffic safety committee, while Councilman Arwin Amatorio proposed a permanent committee.

Schmelz said whatever form the committee takes, it will have some goals in mind.

"The whole idea is to somehow figure out a way to educate children in the school system," Schmelz said. "And educating everybody, not only pedestrians, but drivers."

He said the borough has carried out various traffic safety measures. Most recently, police officers acted as pedestrian decoys crossing Washington Avenue in the downtown in order to slow speeding drivers. He said drivers who were pulled over for violating the law were given a warning.

"We weren't trying to ticket them; we were trying to educate them," Schmelz said.

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Jose Gonzalez, a friend of the young victim's family, hopes the traffic safety committee gets going soon.

Since Alvin's death, Gonzalez and other members of the community close to the Maracallo family have come together to push for change.

"They have 10 committees, but nothing about traffic, which I think is far more important," Gonzalez said. "I'm happy that they move on this, but I hope the committee starts immediately."

Alvin's was the second such fatal accident in the borough in less than a year. In September 2018, Robert Armbruster, 76, died after being hit by a truck on South Washington Avenue.

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