Glen Rock May 2, 2012 THE VILLADOM TIMES II • Page 7 Council withdraws Rodney Street parking change by John Koster The Glen Rock Borough Council has withdrawn an ordinance that would have banned parking on one side of Rodney Street after residents of that street told the council they are more concerned about speeding than parking. “I was pleased that so many people came out and expressed their opinions,” Glen Rock Mayor John van Keuren said of the April 25 meeting. “They’re the ones who live there and they’re the ones who have to decide between speeding and the narrowness of the street, and our job is to listen to them. They spoke, and we listened.” The ordinance had called for a ban on parking on the north and east side of Rodney Street from Main Street to Maple Avenue and on the south and west side of Rodney Street from a point 166 feet south of Main Street to a point 229 feet south of Main Street. Mayor van Keuren and Glen Rock Borough Administrator Lora Benjamin summarized the neighbors’ concerns, noting that the residents felt the removal of the permitted parking from such a substantial portion of Rodney Street would increase the danger of motorists speeding through the quiet residential neighborhood to get from one busy county road to another. Many of the neighbors said they were more concerned about speeding that about inconvenient parking. On the initiative of Councilman Mike O’Hagan, the ordinance was withdrawn for further study by the Glen Rock Police Department. The council reintroduced another ordinance that has to do with parking. That ordinance, if adopted on May 9, would restrict parking on the west side of Central Avenue from Rock Road to a point 150 feet north of Rock Road to four hours a day, Monday through Friday. The intention of the ordinance is to prevent commuters from using that portion of Central Avenue, a quiet residential street that also serves as access to All Saints Episcopal Church and the approach to Glen Rock Community Church, both of which maintain active weekday social activities. Some commuters reportedly leave their cars parked all day so they can take the Rock Road or Maple Avenue buses to New York City in the morning and return in the evening. Parking by commuters, many of whom are not Glen Rock residents, has been restricted in a number of other locations near transit routes. Meanwhile, Ridgewood and Glen Rock will continue to share the use of the heavy-duty tub grinder that turns tree trunks and limbs into wood chips. That agreement will continue under the terms of a resolution of the Ridgewood Council that was approved in Ridgewood on April 25. Mayor Keith Killion of Ridgewood noted that the relationship, which generally gives Ridgewood the use of the tub grinder two-thirds of the time and Glen Rock one(continued on page 18)