Recently South Brunswick Mayor Debra Johnson wrote a letter looking back at the events and the accomplishments of 2001.
Needless to say, she failed to indicate what was not accomplished. Members of the town government voted themselves an annual cost-of-living increase while the police were without a contract for too long.
Taxes are continuing to rise, taking more and more money out of residents’ pockets, especially hurting those on fixed incomes.
Housing continues to increase, causing more traffic and the need for more schools, which of course comes from residents’ pockets.
There seems to be no coordination with Franklin Township and its construction projects, causing the quality of life to diminish even further.
Lines at the post office have become intolerable due to the population increase.
Perhaps the greatest omission is that we have not heard whether there is any movement within the township to work with the state to widen Route 1 and increase the capacity of Route 27. It can take two, three or even more light changes to enter these two roads.
The state tells us it will be at least five years before anything will be done regarding Route 1.
Why is it that South Brunswick is the only community in the New Brunswick-Trenton corridor that still has two lanes [on Route 1]? Are we to be known as the bottleneck of the corridor?
Every time there is an accident on Route 1, it seems as if the entire highway is closed for an extended period of time in both directions. This causes increases in the volume of motor vehicles, which causes delays on Route 27.
These two arteries, especially Route 27, are used by local residents to connect with the outside world. Are the mayor and town council oblivious to the needs of residents? How about improving the quality of life for us?
William Axelrod
Kendall Park section
of South Brunswick