Township Council considers Macopin Road speed limit
West Milford. Township Council members differ on what casues accidents on road and it was unclear if the subject would be taken up in the future.
| 18 Oct 2022 | 10:14
The entrance to the school district complex at the corner of Macopin Road and Highlander Drive and roadways in that vicinity are among locations where some officials want to address traffic safety concerns. (
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With opinions of Township of West Milford council members differing, no decision for any action was reached on a proposal to initiate action to reduce speed limits on some sections of Macopin Road where motor vehicle collisions are known to occur frequently.
Macopin Road is owned by Passaic County and the county would be involved in any action to change the varying speed limits. It was not clear after the governing body’s discussion meeting, if the topic will be revisited any time soon.
Councilman Dave Marsden of Gemantown Road said motor vehicle crashes happen on his road too. His opinion is that inattentive/distracted drivers are the major cause of motor vehicle collisions throughout the township. Marston says he doesn’t know how much effect the lowering speed limits on areas of Macopin Road would have on decreasing the number of accidents there.
He believes that drivers who are not paying attention and pass or narrowly escape passing stopped school buses - at the Highlander Drive/Macopin Road intersection to the school building complex- for instance, are caused by drivers who do not have their eyes on the road. He noted that “enforcement” of current traffic laws plays a role too.
Council members Ada Erik and Kevin Goodsir supported lowering the speed limit on some sections of Macopin Road where accidents happen frequently. Erik lives on a section of the road that has a sharp bend and Goodsir lives near the entrance to the Highlander Drive school complex (West Milford High School, Macopin Middle School and the West Milford School District Administration building).
Councilman Michael Chazukow, commenting on the difference of opinion between other council members regarding the reason for numerous, frequent accidents at certain locations could see what the other council members are saying and considers their arguments “both ways.” A resident in a development that connects with Macopin Road, he noted that most motor vehicle accidents happen during the heaviest rush hour traffic.
Erik said she is “all for street bumps” and she reported that county officials are so concerned about Macopin Road traffic and accidents that they no longer will allow any new connecting driveways to Macopin Road to be built.
Macopin Road, Union Valley Road, Greenwood Lake/Warwick Tpk. And Germantown Road have become travel corridors for people who live in towns to the north who drive through West Milford to reach Route 23, 208 and other major highways on their daily commute.
West Milford Supervising Engineering Charles Carbone was at the meeting, apparently ready to provide information and possibly make recommendations as to what should happen regarding speed limit changes, if any, but he was not called on to report.
