Teaneck Residents Lobby for Lower Speed Limit

Teaneck officials plan to meet with East Cedar Lane residents after the group circulated a petition calling for a lower speed limit in their neighborhood, near a senior citizen housing complex.

Residents of the complex, next to the Overpeck County Golf Course, described cars narrowly missing pedestrians while speeding through the area. The street, off Teaneck Road, has a 35 mph limit, but residents want it lowered to 25 mph.

“The point of it is that if a car is coming and a senior is crossing the street, the car is not going to able to stop on a dime and seniors can’t run, at least most of us,” 75-year-old Edna Dismus told the town council this week.

Dismus said about 100 people signed a petition asking officials to lower the speed limit. Nearby streets have a 25 mph limit, she added.

“Cars come come down like it’s a freeway,” Dismus said. “Somebody’s going to get hit and we would like to have something done before that happens.”

Some of the speeders, residents say, are patrons of the nearby county golf course.

“We do have the golfers that are trying to make their tee time,” said Pearl Taylor, 71, an East Cedar Lane resident.

Councilman Henry Pruitt proposed installing signs, similar to those warning of deer crossings.

“What’s the possibility to put up signs saying senior citizens crossing?,” Pruitt said. “Let’s not have more concern for the deer than we have for the senior citizens.”

Township Manager William Broughton, a former police officer who joined the force in 1983, said the speed limit has been at 35 mph throughout his career.

Broughton said residents shouldn’t get “a false sense of security” and remain cautious in the area, regardless of what traffic safety steps are taken.

“We still need to be very careful no matter what we do,” the town manager said.