Tenafly’s Smith School Traffic Study

Smith Elementary School Traffic Study

After years of discussions among residents of the Smith School neighborhood, the mayor and council and the school board, the municipal governing body commissioned a study in March 2011. The study was to deal with improving the safety and traffic patterns during arrival and departure times at the Smith Elementary School.

The study commissioned to & prepared by Urbana Consulting and its sub consultant, Sam Schwartz Engineering will cost the borough and Board of Education an estimated $380,000 if fully implemented.

According to the mayor Rustin “I think the consensus of the governing body is that they are very pleased with the report given the time constraints. I don’t think anybody expected such a thorough and broad study.” A special public meeting is scheduled for May 31 on the study will decide – what action it will take. Tenafly Mayor Peter Rustin said on Tuesday that the mindset of the council was to do the work before school reopens next fall.

Neighborhood residents had long called for a comprehensive plan to ensure a safer and smoother system.  But one member of the group argued that residents’ input was largely absent from the report.