Thursday, February 7, 2008

Formerly Cedarhurst Ave


Around the corner from my house is a street sign unlike any I have ever seen. The sign reads “Briarwood Lane formerly Cedarhurst Ave. Why should I care what the street was previously called and more importantly why and how did this change take place? The problem with Cedarhurst Ave was that is passed through two towns, Lawrence and Cedarhurst. As you passed the town line the addresses were not in order and in some cases there where even duplicate addresses. For years this was causing small problems like getting lost when looking for an address or mixed-up mail but these issues were tolerated. It wasn’t until an ambulance showed up at the wrong house that this seemingly small problem showed how dangerous it could be. Changes needed to be made. At the next town meeting a seemingly simple solution to this problem was proposed. At the other end of the street, on the Lawrence side, Cedarhurst Ave became Briarwood Crossing. Why not just switch the entire Lawrence portion of the street to Briarwood and leave the section in Cedarhurst the way it was. Therefore, it would not matter that the numbers on the two sided didn’t sync up. They would be two totally unrelated streets with different names in different towns. The problem with this plan was that where Cedarhurst became Briarwood there was an upward shift in social status. The wealthier members of Briarwood Crossing did not want the residents of Cedarhurst Ave to be associated with. They obviously put their social status ahead of the safety of everyone on that block and felt no obligation to these people who considered themselves neighbors. Eventually, after hours of debate, a compromise was reached. The street would be renamed Briarwood Lane. This solution would avert anymore mishaps while still creating a barrier of sorts that showed the separation between the residents of Briarwood Lane and those of Briarwood Crossing.

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