Meeting yields few Route 206 traffic solutions

Some residents who attended the meeting said they would like to see more police patrol the road.

By: Lea Kahn
   Seeking to reduce truck traffic on Route 206, a panel of politicians and representatives from the New Jersey State Police batted around several strategies to alleviate the problem in a meeting with residents last week.
   About 40 people attended the special meeting at the municipal building, which was called by Mayor Pam Mount. Residents have complained of increased truck traffic on Route 206, plus a lack of police presence.
   The meeting was attended by state Sen. Shirley Turner, Assemblyman Reed Gusciora, Assemblywoman Bonnie Watson-Coleman, Princeton Township Mayor Phyllis Marchand, Township Councilman Mark Holmes, Mercer County Freeholder Brian Hughes and Hopewell Township Deputy Mayor Jon Edwards. A representative from Princeton Borough’s Traffic and Transportation Committee also attended.
   Truck traffic is a regional issue, said Joseph Kowalski of the Hopewell Mayors’ Task Force on Traffic and Trucks. It is an issue involving Mercer, Somerset and Hunterdon counties, Mr. Kowalski said.
   "It is a regional problem and we need a regional approach," Sen. Turner said. One of the best solutions is to provide truck drivers with an incentive to use the N.J. Turnpike, she said.
   Sen. Turner said she introduced legislation several years ago that would reduce tolls by half for truckers who use the turnpike during off-peak hours. As far as truckers are concerned, time and money are their greatest interests, she said. When the tolls go up, the trucks leave the Turnpike, she said.
   Sen. Turner also suggested that local police should be able to pull over truckers for safety inspections — a function currently carried out exclusively by the New Jersey State Police. There is some concern that trucks are not properly maintained, she said.
   But State Police Lt. William Wade disagreed with Sen. Turner’s proposal. For starters, the shoulders along roads such as Route 206 are virtually non-existent and would make it unsafe for the truck driver and the police officer, he said.
   Lt. Wade also pointed out that cars and trucks can travel the same roads safely, if all drivers obey the law. About 80 to 90 percent of accidents involving trucks are caused by cars, he said. Highways such as Routes 29 and 31 were built for trucks many years ago, he added.
   After the meeting, Municipal Manager William Guhl said all tractor-trailer trucks are allowed on Route 206. The highway is on the list of approved routes for intrastate traffic — which means trucks that either start or end their trips in New Jersey.
   Still, some residents said they would like to see more police officers patrolling Route 206. One resident said she rarely sees the township police on the state highway.
   Robert Cleary, who lives on Route 206, said it is difficult for him to cross the highway to reach his mailbox because of the truck traffic. He suggested stationing a patrol car on Route 206 in the early morning hours to catch speeding trucks.
   Township Chief of Police John Prettyman said the officers must cover the entire 22-square-mile township. If there is an accident on Route 1, for example, it requires more than one officer to handle it, he said. The officers are tied up for several hours, directing traffic and investigating the accident, he added.
   Responding to the concerns that some of the trucks are not properly maintained and should be inspected on the road, Mr. Guhl said the township is looking at locations on Route 206 where trucks could be pulled over.
   Mayor Mount said she had spoken to representatives from the trucking industry, who have said they are interested in meeting to discuss the issue. The representatives likely will argue that they are taking the most direct routes, because it costs $1 per mile to operate a truck, she said.
   "This is an issue of our lifestyles," Mayor Mount said. "We want our goods and services and we want it to be 10 miles away. We want it to be close and quick and cheap. If we hire 10 more police officers (to enforce truck regulations), you’ll see it in the municipal budget. It’s a trade-off. There are no easy solutions."