This is the second pedestrian hit in the last month, perhaps the police dept should have one of their men directing traffic on Main St. on Saturday and Sundays...Chester residents pay for that!

Good point, Lynda. However the earlier pedestrian accident was never reported by the Patch. (Why is that? The pedestrian was seriously injured and taken by ambulance to the hospital. This went unnoticed?) I do not know the circumstances this time, but the last one was a Chester resident hit while traffic had stopped in both directions to allow the pedestrian thru the crosswalk. A driver on a side street pulled out between these stopped vehicles and broadsided the pedestrian. That one occurred during holiday shopping before Christmas. especially at high volume shopping times, like Saturdays and holidays, additional traffic direction is needed.

How about some speed bumps in the center of town slowly drivers down to 10 mph instead of flying through at 45 where children & adults are walking around! A few more in front of the elementary school wouldn't hurt either since the flashing lights are never on!!

Hi Janet,

Thanks for commenting. This is actually the third pedestrian struck in as many months. You seem to know a lot about the second accident, drop me a line at Russ.Crespolini@patch.com. Thanks again for commenting!

The police and Boro need to add those bright green pedestrian stop signs in middle of road. It is a narrow road along with parked cards on either in downtown area. As a pedestrian you have to be IN the road to even gauge if safe to cross (i.e. between Lady Fingers and Woodwork shop). Maybe eliminate some parking spots next to these cross walks.

Hey Lynda, seriously!! The tax payers pay for the officers to sit there and direct traffic. You ever think about their safety of standing in the middle of the road because motorists certain don't care about them either. If you know anything about the department then tell me how it is possible to have an officer direct traffic when they are a police department of 8 officers. They do what they can when they can and do a great job. I have no complaints on how they do their job. If you want to voice your opinion on what they should be doing then maybe you should drive yourself to a council meeting and tell the council that they need to hire at least 2 more officers. I bet the council tells you it's not financially possible to do so. Which I find hard to believe.! In a recent article the Chief has asked for additional manpower. But certain council members and especially that joke of a Mayor who can't stand the police as is will never go for it. Should the Borough pd have more officers. Absolutely... How bout putting better signs up like. Ones that flash when someone hits the button The police can not be there to prevent everything. There's at least five crosswalks in town. That means according to you 5 out 8 officers should be placed there. Get real. Things happen and it's unfortunate.

Delwood. Do you actually think those little green signs make a difference. Nope. They are just targets to get run over. Half the time they are knocked over.

Everyone loves to point fingers and blame the police. It's amazing.

Here's a thought...the Historic Chester Business Association provides carriage rides during the holidays. Maybe they should provide traffic control instead during the holidays and when they have events, such as the craft fairs so their patrons don't get run over. Doesn't address the year round problem, but helps bear the burden. And lets not forget that the police in Mendham direct traffic every day in front of the high school and Saturday's at Kings. Any of them been hit that we know of? I certainly do not blame the police for these pedestrian injuries, but I do think they could be part of prevention for the future.

I believe those officers get paid overtime. And on top of that they have at least an additional 4 full time officers compared to Chester borough. The Chester Borough police do help with getting school buses out of the Bragg and Dickerson schools. I have seen them personally. You're missing the point that its about manpower. It comes down to the fact that more things are happening and the police are obviously becoming busier. I blame the elected officials who refuse to open their pockets to pay for things that are a necessity and not a wish or want! You can not be cheap on public safety that's the bottom line. They have some of the most antiquated equipment around. Its sad!! And yes I truly believe having flashing signs will help just like those radar things they attach to signs. It certainly gets my attention.

And don't think for one second that pedestrians don't get hit in mendham. It wasn't to long ago where a council member struck a person in the kings parking lot. Explain that?

Oh if I where on the force I would be writing all those people tickets. But yet I'm sure people will complain about that to if they start doing that

Agreed something needs to be done. Signs that get knocked over sound more of an additional danger than not. It sounds as if there is a need for additional officers. I'm sure they are making an effort to address these incidents, remember those efforts need to be agreed upon by the council and or the safety committee. Sounds like it time to attend some meetings to be sure it's getting the appropriate attention. I'm sure these officers are afraid one of these days they are going to arrive to a loss of life which is not something anyone wants to see happen. It's time the mayor put his feelings aside and do what's right for the town. If they need manpower give it to them. Maybe cars shouldn't be parked on main st at all that would help to be able to see pedestrians and vehicles. There's a big issue to be addressed , all thoughts and ideas should be heard and a plan needs to take place ASAP.