Mayor Carl Hokanson literally took to the streets to show residents the importance of moving cars from roads. Posting on his Facebook page (link), the mayor took measuring tape to demonstrate how much of borough roadways are being taken up by snow piled next to cars. With over six feet of roadway unavailable to vehicular traffic, the issue with plowing as well as maneuvering other emergency vehicles such as a fire truck or ambulance becomes apparent. The mayor showed that Roselle Park Fire Department’s (RPFD) Engine No. 1 is 8 ft. wide; some side streets would not be able to be accommodate such a fire truck in case of an emergency.
As an example, Berwyn Street is around 26 ft. wide and is a one-sided parking street. With the snow, the side of the street where cars are parked occupies 13 ft. from the sidewalk while the other side has around 6 ft. of snow from the sidewalk. This leave about seven feet of available roadway.
Some residents have not had their streets plowed and the amount of snowfall has compounded the situation with residents not being able to shovel out the almost two feet of snow and plows not being able to pass on some narrow side streets.
There have also been residents who have stated that plows went up the middle of their street without addressing the curbs when cars were not on the road.
Residents who need information on when their streets will be plowed can contact Mayor Hokanson at (908) 666-7817, the Roselle Park Police Department (RPPD) at (908) 245-2300, or the Department of Public Works at (908) 245-7676 and leave a message. DPW opens tomorrow, Monday, January 25th, at 7 in the morning.