I’ve run every day since November 2021. I’m often making the loop around the Reservoir, exploring the trails in the Reservation, or taking Pleasant Valley Way up to Verona Park.
But this year, I decided to try something new. My goal was to run every street in West Orange. I wanted to break out of my routine.
I found an app to track my progress: City Strides. I got to work in January with the streets in St. Cloud. Before long, I was venturing out into other neighborhoods. Last week, I crossed off my last street: Park Place, off of Mt. Pleasant behind town hall.
This was a fun way to explore the town and get familiar with all of the neighborhoods. I passed by every park, every school, and every firehouse.
But it was also a reminder of how people experience our town on foot – whether they’re dropping their kids off at school, waiting for the bus, or walking their dogs. Here are a few things I noticed.
After the snowstorms in January and February, the streets were unsafe for pedestrians for quite some time. I ran through quiet residential neighborhoods where the sidewalks weren’t shoveled. In some cases the sidewalks were shoveled, but the crosswalks weren’t, and it was more convenient to just stay in the street. As long as there weren’t a lot of cars, it wasn’t that big of a deal.
But there were entire stretches of Northfield that weren’t shoveled. One morning, I saw a guy crossing Northfield from Prospect. He was going to wait at the bus stop on eastbound side of Northfield Ave. The front of the bus stop was shoveled out – but the path to get there wasn’t. After waiting for the light to change, he had to race across the intersection and walk in the middle of the street to get to the bus stop.
There are also far too many stretches of town that have no sidewalks. Many of the county roads lack sidewalks, turning some of our neighborhoods into little islands. There’s no way (safe) way to walk down Northfield from the Livingston border towards the zoo. Nor can you walk up Prospect from St. Cloud towards Essex Green and the Eagle Rock Reservation.
Of course, that didn’t stop me … but many of these routes could be safer and more pedestrian friendly. We have a complete streets plan, and we need to make progress on it.
And then there’s the trash. When you’re driving by, it may not catch your eye. But if you stop and look, especially along the county roads where there aren’t residences or businesses, there is a ton of litter.
It’s an eyesore, and it’s often the first thing that someone sees on their way into town. It’s also bad for the environment, as this stuff ends up in waterways and clogging up sewers.
At least this is one problem we can solve easily enough with a little hard work. I plan on organizing some clean up days this spring to help clear out some of this garbage. If you want to help, stay tuned – and follow the Facebook page for event details.
Some other observations:
- Among the sketchiest parts to run are a) Gregory near Mitchell and Wellington, b) Northfield between Pleasant Valley and Woods End, and c) Prospect between Essex Green and OSPAC.
- Some of the steepest hills in town include: a) Walker Road heading down towards Mountain Way, b) Grand View and Bradford heading up to Northfield, c) the top of Hoover and Mellon Ave, and d) Howell Drive.
- At least two roads are cut off from the rest of town. You have to pass into Verona briefly on your way to the very top of Howell Drive, and you have to dip into South Orange to get up the cul-de-sac at Hillside Terrace.
- Ridge Road is a hidden gem, with some huge houses tucked away on an unassuming cul-de-sac of Mount Pleasant.
- The views of Manhattan are beautiful from just about every hill you get to the top of.
The final highlight of this whole adventure?
The wildlife of West Orange.
I spotted a pack of wild turkeys outside Kessler. The big guy may or may not be related to Turkules.
