The Democrats outlined how they would address safety concerns at an Oct. 6 news conference, while the Republicans met with residents at the Lawrence Road Fire Company later the same day.
By:Lea Kahn Staff Writer
Traffic and public safety issues and how they propose to deal with them were focus for the Democratic and Republican candidates for two Township Council seats last week.
Democratic Township Councilman Mark Holmes and his running mate, Michael Horan, hinted at what they would do as Township Council members during a press conference outside the Lawrence Road Fire Company on Thursday morning.
In the evening, Republican Township Councilman Rick Miller and his running mate, Bob Brackett, hosted a 90-minute meeting with neighborhood residents to listen to their concerns at the firehouse on the corner of Lawrence Road and Pilla Avenue.
Mr. Holmes highlighted a $40,000 grant application submitted by Township Council this month that targets Lawrence Road between Review Avenue and Meadowbrook Avenue in the heart of the Eldridge Park neighborhood.
If approved, the money would be used to develop a plan to improve pedestrian safety in the neighborhood, Mr. Holmes said. Traffic calming measures could be implemented and the streetscape could be improved, he said.
Mr. Horan said that grant ties in with the Quality Neighborhood Initiative that he and Mr. Holmes would like to put in place. As proposed, the Quality Neighborhood Initiative calls for a townshipwide review of pedestrian and traffic safety issues, he said.
Pointing to the state Safe Streets to School grant program, Mr. Horan said Township Council should seek more money from that program. The township has received $50,000 to install a lighted crosswalk on Lawrence Road at Lawrence Avenue, near St. Ann’s School.
The township’s Land Use Ordinance also should be reviewed, Mr. Horan said. Some residents are concerned that the trend of tearing down small houses and replacing them with larger ones may spread to Lawrence, he said.
"We have to look at the ordinance to protect the quality of life and the character of the neighborhoods," said Mr. Horan, who serves on the Planning Board. It is an important issue that must be addressed, he said.
Mr. Holmes, who is seeking his third term on Township Council, highlighted some of the Democratic-controlled Township Council’s accomplishments ranging from adding more police officers to purchasing new equipment for the volunteer fire departments and the first aid squad.
Township Council also revised the zoning ordinance to make it easier for residents in the more densely developed parts of town such as the Slackwood and Eldridge Park neighborhoods to install sheds in the backyard, Mr. Holmes said.
Houses in those neighborhoods and a handful of others are set on small lots. The side yard and rear yard setbacks were changed so that a homeowner’s desire to put a shed in the backyard would not mean a trip to the Zoning Board of Adjustment for a variance, he said.
Later in the day, Mr. Miller and Mr. Brackett listened to comments from many of the 20-plus residents who turned out for the meeting at the firehouse, sponsored by the two Republican candidates for Township Council.
Mr. Miller, who is seeking his fourth term on the council, told the group that he and Mr. Brackett thought they knew what the issues are, but they wanted to hear from the residents. The session is more of an information-gathering one, he added.
Most of the residents’ comments focused on traffic issues, but at least one resident commented on the perceived difference in treatment between the northern end of the township and the southern end. The Eldridge Park neighborhood is in southern Lawrence.
Emilie Kohler, who lives on Gedney Road, said she would like to see the speed limit lowered on Lawrence Road from its present 40 mph. Noting the traffic congestion, she suggested installing "yield to pedestrian" markers on Lawrence Road.
Lawrence Road resident Linda Dlabik said that since a traffic light was installed on Lawrence Road at Gainsboro Road, traffic congestion has worsened. If she does not leave for work by 7:30 a.m., it is difficult for her to exit her driveway, she said.
Another resident said that strict enforcement of traffic regulations would result in motorists driving more slowly. While there may be more police officers now than ever before, he said, enforcement of speed limits has lagged. If people knew they would be ticketed, they would slow down, he added.
John Gaffin, who lives on Millerick Avenue, suggested installing rumble strip instead of speed humps on streets where motorists tend to speed. Rumble strips are slightly raised strips of asphalt. Speed humps are similar to speed bumps.
Mr. Gaffin said he has noticed efforts by developers to build houses on "every square inch" of land in the southern part of town. He suggested "cramming" more houses in the northern end of town.
"It’s nice here," he said. "I would like to see it stay that way. I like it around here and I don’t care what anybody says."
Mr. Miller thanked the residents who turned out and said that he and Mr. Brackett will look at the neighborhood and consider their comments, such as the installation of rumble strips for traffic calming purposes.
"This information will go into how we will address these issues," Mr. Miller said. "We want your feedback. Please call Bob and me."