793 tickets in Jan. top department’s
total for Jan. ’03
BY MAURA DOWGIN
Staff Writer
Edison Police Department officials say they hope that recent changes will help improve the safety and quality of life of all Edison residents.
The department implemented its Traffic Enforcement and Safety Team (TEST) last month.
The program places 12 officers at target locations of frequent accidents and where excessive speeding violations and other motor vehicle violations have been reported.
The 793 traffic summonses written in January by the TEST patrol exceeded the total number of summonses issued by the entire police force in January 2003, according to officials.
"In just one month we’ve far exceeded our expectations," Mayor George A. Spadoro said.
"The unit will target the locations where motor vehicle accidents with serious injuries and fatalities have occurred," with the expectation of reducing the number of motor vehicle violations and accidents, Spadoro said.
In addition to giving out summonses, the officers are identifying and rectifying traffic hazards, such as overgrown bushes or fading lines on the streets, Lt. Matthew Freeman said.
The department will not disclose all of the target locations or times the officers are in those locations, Freeman said.
However, some of the targeted areas include Silver Lake Avenue, Eastside Avenue, Stony Road, Idlewild Road and Old Post Road, according to township officials.
Residents of Silver Lake and Eastside avenues have come before the Township Council in the past year asking for an increased police presence in their neighborhoods because of the increased truck traffic down their streets since the opening of a Railroad Construction Co. warehouse facility on Silver Lake Avenue last year.
Police are hopeful that the TEST program will reduce the number of car accidents and reduce speeding throughout Edison.
"This program will definitely have an impact on the flow of traffic and the safety of our residents," Freeman said.
The TEST program is only one part of the traffic management plan the township is using to make the roads a safer place to travel, Freeman said.