Town to ban cell phones

Measure would prohibit driving with hand-helds.

By: Al Wicklund
JAMESBURG – Before the summer is far along, Jamesburg probably will have a law banning the use of hand-held cell phones by those driving a motor vehicle.
      Mayor Tony LaMantia said Wednesday that an ordinance concerning cell-phone use could be introduced at the Borough Council’s May 28 or June 11 meeting.
      "It’s 100 percent a safety issue. We’re a walking town. People walk to places such as stores and the library. We have children walking to school, many of them crossing Route 522.
      "And, we have more than our share of commuter traffic.
      "We are interested in heading off possible accidents," Mayor LaMantia said.
      The mayor said that, fortunately, there have been no accidents so far involving a driver using a cell phone.
      "Members of the council and I have been discussing this issue as individuals for some time," he said.
      Last month at a Borough Council meeting, Councilman John Longo started a discussion on the dangers of drivers being distracted by their cell phones, Mayor LaMantia said.
      "There is a growing number of municipalities that have adopted laws curtailing cell-phone use. We join them in their concerns for the safety of pedestrians and motorists," he said.
      He said, whatever the council decides to do, it will have to choose its words carefully and pay attention to what might be required to inform drivers if a cell-phone ban is in effect.
      In Marlboro Township, its ban on driving and using cell phones and a possible $250 fine for a violation of the law is displayed on signs along township roads.