From the issue of March 15, 2007.
Appreciation for support
To the editor:
The recent display of respect, love and friendship shown at the wake, funeral and Mass of Janet Phillips was overwhelming.
Living in South Brunswick for 40 years develops many dear friends.
Our thanks also goes to the South Brunswick Police Department for their friendship and assistance in a trying time and all those from Cambridge School. Thank you all.
John M. Phillips
Dayton
On behalf of the Phillips families, the Olsson family and the Mignella family.
Is SMART the smartest?
To the editor:
Anyone that has lived in South Brunswick for more than 15 minutes knows that traffic on our roads is a major issue, especially during peak "drive" times Monday through Friday.
In addition to the sheer volume of vehicles, there is that constant nightmare of negotiating intersections, as well as the infamous jug handles, which all malfunction all of the time.
So, to deal with this traffic issue, our Township Manager Matt Watkins blew the dust off of his 1980-whatever masters thesis and showed it to the $160,000 lobby firm he hired to stop Route 92, sent them to Washington where they reportedly found $4 million to help implement a transportation program that is being dubbed SMART.
He then hired a local advertising firm to develop a strategy that will feature a cartoon-like character named "Smarty."
When this SMART program commences this fall, there will be nine GPS-equipped buses scattered throughout the township that will pick up residents for (a fee to be determined) and deliver them to bus and train stations in New Brunswick and Princeton Junction.
SMART or Smarty buses will move seniors from place to place during the course of the day. Those commuters that were picked up in the morning will be dropped off at the end of the day. All of this will eliminate a reported 200 cars from the streets. Wait 200 cars? Mr. Watkins was visibly excited during his public introduction of this program the other night on TV 3. There were times when he and Councilwoman Carol Barrett had to catch themselves from laughing at the notion of grappling over the "Smarty hats and Smarty T-shirts" that will be printed to assist in promoting the SMART program.
Our mayor was correct when he reminded Mr. Watkins how important it was for the buses to be full. Mr. Watkins made it clear that "the word has to go out" for SMART to make sense.
All right then perhaps I need some clarification on this program and the numbers. Nine buses at full capacity will eliminate 200 cars from the roads. At a cost of $4 million, that’s $20,000 per car. This does not sound smart to me, especially without knowing what the impact would be with a 200-car reduction and with no definitive knowledge of how many cars are on the roads to begin with.
May I suggest that this become a topic for a shared services meeting with the district’s Transportation Department, so there can be some discussion with an entity that moves thousands and thousands of people throughout South Brunswick’s 41 square miles each day?
Or, should I just put in my T-shirt order and forget about it?
Jeff O’Brien
Monmouth Junction

