Mahwah March 25, 2009 THE VILLADOM TIMES IV • Page 3 Expert claims application would increase traffic by Frank J. McMahon Richard Maser, a professional engineer and traffic expert hired by Paks Fast Service Inc., owner of the Valero Service Station located north of the Pilot truck stop on Route 17 South, claims an upgrade of the Pilot site will create excess truck queuing and circulation problems on that site. Paks opposes Pilot Corporation’s plan to renovate its truck stop site, and Maser recently gave the zoning board a presentation during which he described the traffic counts he conducted at four fueling stations on Route 17. In his presentation, he said that while his count of non-diesel fuel vehicles at the Pilot site was somewhat higher than was claimed by Pilot’s traffic expert, his diesel fuel truck counts were significantly higher during the morning peak while less significantly higher during the afternoon/evening peak. Maser told the board the gap analysis he conducted, which shows the traffic gaps on Route 17 that will impact the exiting trucks from the Pilot site, was the most significant finding of his traffic count analysis. He said the gap analysis showed that queuing problems on the Pilot site will be caused anytime two or more trucks are backed up on the site waiting for a gap in the Route 17 traffic in order to pull out into the highway and that will cause circulation problems on the Pilot site. He also claimed that more trucks would use the Pilot site when the economy improves because of the national fuel contracts that some trucking companies have with the Pilot Corporation and that will create more delays exiting the Pilot site. Board member Peter DeKramer asked Maser if he had done a gap analysis in front of the other three sites in his traffic analysis. Maser responded that he did not. “It would have been nice to have a comparison,” DeKramer told the engineer. Mike Kelly, the board’s professional engineer, asked Maser if he considered the egress from the Pilot site unsafe or hazardous. Maser said he does, based on his analysis of the delays that are anticipated. When asked if it is reasonable to assume that a similar gap issue exists at the Valero fueling station north of the Pilot site, he responded that such a gap would not be to the magnitude expected at the Pilot site because his traffic counts indicated there would be more trucks at the Pilot site than predicted by Pilot’s traffic expert. (continued on page 21) Bridging to Boy Scouts The Webelos Cub Scouts from Den 5, Pack 258 of Mahwah recently earned their Arrow of Light award (the highest rank in Cub Scouting) and have bridged over to Boy Scouts. Pictured are Den Leader Filomena Bonura, with Joseph Naum, Matthew Matos, James Peko, Aidan Kooy, Justin Murad, Johnathan Wise, Christopher Bonura and Wolf Scout Jaron Kooy.