Ridgewood Could Limit Valley's Traffic Impact, Expert Says

The Ridgewood Planning Board, mulling a proposed master plan amendment that would allow Valley Hospital to nearly double the size of its facility, could take steps to limit traffic at the site if it approves the renovations, according to a consultant hired by the village.

Gordon Meth, a traffic engineer from RBA Group, testified last week that traffic around the hospital already resembles a 995,000 square foot medical facility, the size of Valley’s proposed expansion.

The traffic level could be maintained if the expansion proceeds, Meth said, by limiting parking at the site, in addition to making improvements to nearby intersections.

Hospital employees entering and exiting the facility are responsible for most of the traffic at peak hours, he explained, pointing out a decrease in the number of cars using hospital driveways after the introduction of an employee shuttle bus in 2007.

Valley has said its plan to relocate some outpatient services, producing a net decrease of about a hundred employees, would minimize the impact of its expansion on the surrounding area. Opponents of the project have argued that village planning officials would be hard-pressed to enforce modifications to the hospital’s operations should Valley be allowed to expand.

Meth suggested that the planning board could reduce the allowable parking on the campus, essentially forcing the hospital to find a way to operate with fewer vehicles arriving at the site.

“It’s the one mechanism that can be controlled to control vehicle traffic in and out of Valley Hospital,” Meth told the planning board.

According to the current master plan, the hospital is allowed a maximum of 2,000 parking spaces. Meth suggested the limit be lowered to 1,600, taking the current available parking at the hospital and subtracting for the amount of employees expected to be relocated after the expansion.

The engineer noted that limiting spaces on the hospital’s property could lead to more parking on nearby streets, something he said the village would need to monitor.

Meth also suggested that the board consider traffic lights at the intersection of Glen Avenue with Van Dien and Red Birch Court, and the addition of left turn lanes, a bus pullout lane and upgraded signals at Linwood Avenue and Van Dien, to address "failing" conditions and congestion in the area.

The planning board is scheduled to continue hearings on the hospital Jan. 29 at George Washington Middle School.