Page 6 THE VILLADOM TIMES II • June 1, 2011 Ridgewood Mayor urges texters, cyclists to use caution by John Koster Ridgewood Mayor Keith Killion has urged bicyclists and those sending text messages to observe the law. Mayor Killion, a former detective captain of the Ridgewood Police Department, said he had observed a dangerous situation while he was driving in Ridgewood. Killion said a teen pedestrian was busily texting while walking toward an intersection, and continued texting and walking, even though the light had changed before the youngster walked into the road. Killion said that because he was driving at a lawful 25 miles per hour, he had no trouble stopping in time to avoid striking the young pedestrian, but that a driver who was speeding or otherwise distracted might not have been able to do so. Too often, Killion said, pedestrians assume that having the right-of-way renders them invulnerable, and fail to compensate for bad visibility or careless driving. He added that having had the right-of-way isn’t much comfort to a seriously injured person in the emergency room or to a bereft family. “You do have the right-of-way, but you do have a certain responsibility,” Killion said of pedestrians within crosswalks. “Texting, even when you’re walking and not in a car, can be dangerous.” A college student from neighboring Glen Rock was killed last year when she walked between trains while texting at the railroad station in Ramsey and apparently failed to notice she was stepping in front of a moving locomotive that had no space to stop. Texting while driving is rated by many agencies as the single most frequent factor in collisions between vehicles or between vehicles and pedestrians. Mayor Killion added that, with the return of warm and sunny weather, bicy- clists could also pose problems to their own safety if they fail to remember that a bicycle, as a wheeled vehicle, is subject to the same traffic regulations as a car, SUV, or motorcycle. Cyclists should remember to signal when turning, respect traffic lights and signs, and avoid traveling two or three abreast on public roads. Especially on Sunday, Mayor Killion said, some bicyclists in large groups tend to group in clusters, blocking motorists behind them by filling up the entire lane and blocking motorists’ turns off the road. “Large groups of bicyclists can be annoying if they ride two or three abreast,” Mayor Killion said. “Pay attention to what’s behind you!” he urged. Valley Hospital has purchased the Community Blood Center building on Linwood Avenue in Paramus and will eventually locate services, including doctors’ offices and a research center on the premises of the renovated building near Route 17. Community Blood Services is consolidating its operation in Bergen County and no action is expected for at least a year in refurbishing the small building for Valley Hospital programs. The building is located in a residential zone of Paramus and a variance granted by the Paramus Board of Adjustment, granted in May, was needed to allow Valley Hospital to eventually use the Community Blood Services building for Valley buys research center doctors’ offices, cardiac rehabilitation, and possible research. Valley Hospital maintains extensive research programs along with in-patient care, maternity, and emergency room services, and has programs to research colorectal and pancreatic cancer which function out of the Valley Hospital in Ridgewood. Community Blood Services will continue to function in Bergen County, but the Linwood Avenue office, which supplies blood to about 30 hospitals in New Jersey and New York, will be retained for the next several months before it is relocated. J. KOSTER