Bergen County mayor using petition to garner support for traffic change

BERGEN COUNTY, N.J. (PIX11) — A Change.org petition created by Montvale Mayor Mike Ghassali has more than 1,800 signatures in support of changing the traffic pattern off Exit 171 of the Garden State Parkway.

The two-lane exit currently permits left turns only. Ghassali would like to switch one lane to allow right turns.

“People who actually see their house from the turn, they can’t make a right turn,” said Ghassali. “They have to make a left, come to Montvale, find a spot to make a U-turn, then go back to their house.”

Ghassali said allowing vehicles to turn right would alleviate traffic congestion on local roads, as well as at Exit 172, often used to avoid Exit 171.

Making the change, however, is harder said than done. A legal agreement dating back to 1984 requires any change to have unanimous approval from the Turnpike Authority, Bergen County, and the town of Woodcliff Lake.

“The mayor of Montvale can kick and scream,” said Woodcliff Lake Mayor Carlos Rendo during a Thursday Facebook Live stream. “It’s not happening.”

Rendo said a right-hand turn lane would send traffic onto residential streets that can’t handle it. He also blames overdevelopment in Montvale for creating a traffic problem in the first place.

“We shouldn’t bear the burden for Montvale’s mistakes of overdeveloping their community, for their mistakes of poor planning,” said Rendo.

Ghassali said previous conversations with Woodcliff Lake have gone nowhere, prompting him to start his petition. He plans to take it to the Turnpike Authority and Bergen County for consideration.

“We will make our case and come back to Woodcliff Lake, and if they don’t [say yes], the only option we have it to take it to court,” said Ghassali.

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