July 30, 2014 THE VILLADOM TIMES I • Page 13 Residents petition for parking limits on Maltbie Avenue Anticipating a return to their traffic woes once school starts in September, Maltbie Avenue residents in Mid- land Park are asking the borough council to limit parking in front of their homes during before- and after-school hours. Since earlier this year, the residents have been com- plaining that parents of Ridge School students in Ridgewood block their driveways, damage their lawns, obstruct the lines of sight at the intersection of Maltbie and Franklin avenues and put children in danger as they run in the street to reach their cars. The block-long street is north of Franklin Avenue and has only five houses on it, some of which are partially in Ridgewood. Councilman Jack Considine gave the governing body last week a petition he had received from Maltbie resident Abby Marchetti signed by 20 residents of the northern end of the street and of Franklin Avenue and Busteed Drive asking the council to prohibit parking on their block from 7:30 to 9:30 a.m. and from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. The petition cites congestion, unsafe walking conditions for children, the road being too narrow for emergency vehicles, and residents’ difficulty in getting in and out of their drive- ways as the reason for their request. Midland Park Sgt. Noah Van Vliet, the traffic officer, said he was not aware of the petition and did not know that the residents wanted to limit parking, since that option had been discussed but had not been decided upon when the residents attended the council meeting last March. He said such action would affect guests to their homes, who would be ticketed. Van Vliet said following discussions last spring, the police department and the DPW had taken care of the vis- ibility issues at the Franklin/Maltbie intersection. He said signs had been posted indicating no parking within 50 ft. of the stop signs on two corners, and no parking here to corner 25 ft. from the intersection on the other corners. Considine said Marchetti indicated the residents are grateful for what police have done thus far, but wanted to take it a step further. Van Vliet said he had contacted the Ridgewood Police traffic officer, who had assured him the situation would be resolved by September, but that no action had been Police investigate credit card fraud, make drug arrest On July 7, Midland Park Police responded to a report of fraudulent purchases made on a credit card belonging to a Faner Road resident. Seven purchased totaling $679.46 were made in Bedford Park, Illinois. The incident was referred to the detective bureau. Officer Thomas Bedoe investigated. Also on that day, Officer Mark Berninger took a report from Vreeland Avenue residents who stated an unknown person (or persons) used the complainant’s credit card. The resident reported that purchases were made in North Bergen, Midland Park, and Paramus for a total of $678.43. On July 14, a West Summit Avenue resident reported that he had received an e-mail from his credit company stating that his mailing address and telephone number were changed, and a new credit card should be issued. He contacted the credit company and advised that the changes were fraudulent, and the card should be cancelled. Officer Berninger investigated. At the conclusion of an investigation that started on July 13, two Midland Park residents, a 27-year-old female and a 27-year-old male, were arrested for possession of a controlled dangerous substance. The couple was processed July 15 and released on their own recognizance. Lieuten- ant Michael Powderley and Detective Sergeant John Gib- bons were the investigating officers. taken as of yet. He said he had also contacted the chairman of the Ridge School Safety Committee, Jane Remis, who said she would speak to Ridge Principal Jean Schoenlank about the problem. Van Vliet said he contacted Ridge School officials again last week, asking that a communi- cation be sent to parents ahead of the beginning of school notifying them of the traffic concerns and asking that they not block driveways nor park too close to the inter- section. He said hopefully this would help the situation until Midland Park adopt the no-parking ordinance Van Vliet said last spring he had also asked Ridgewood to repaint the curb yellow along Franklin Avenue east of Maltbie, and that the no-parking sign there be relocated 10 ft. so it is not blocked by the utility pole. Van Vliet said police conducted multiple traffic details in the area last school year, where they issued summonses and moved traffic along. He said in many cases vehicles were not necessarily parked illegally, but that the traffic volume makes it difficult to navigate the area. Ridgewood Police are also supposed to patrol the area before and after school, but a resident said when the patrol car is present, people are more mindful of the rules. “I understand their concerns,” said Van Vliet. “Cars block their driveways or park too close and they can’t get out.” Mayor Patrick “Bud” O’Hagan said Van Vliet would be asked to revisit the situation and report back to the council.