By: Stephanie Prokop
FLORENCE The Township Council was expected to discuss a possible ordinance to prohibit truck parking on the shoulder of Delaware Avenue at its work session Wednesday night.
Resident Don Kamienski, of McCay Drive in Roebling, has been presenting evidence to the council for months saying that his goal is to get the Township Council to pass such an ordinance.
He claims that as a Roebling resident he is witness to the mass exodus of cars every morning, noon, and evening that have to maneuver around the trucks because they stick out into the road, thus obstructing traffic flow.
With major thoroughfares such as the N.J. Turnpike and Route 130 nearby, many large trucks make their way down the avenue to link up to various parts of Florence and Roebling.
Mr. Kamienski claims that the trucks, which park on the side of Delaware Avenue both north and south bound, are a hazard to motorists who have to cross over the yellow line to safely pass on the road.
The reason the trucks park on the side of the road, he said, is because there is a local delicatessen nearby, the Corner Deli, located at the intersection of Delaware Avenue and Station Road.
Township Administrator Richard Brook said the Township Council does acknowledge the seriousness of the matter, and was expected to review the issue at the work session meeting.
"It’s a complex decision that would involve both impact on the business and the surrounding residents," said Mr. Brook.
Mr. Brook said there is no doubt that there is a safety concern for motorists and residents, but it is also ironic because the area has not been associated with many accidents in the past.
According to a document from Police Chief Gordon Dawson, (dated January 2007) there have been two reported motor vehicle collisions since 2004 in the stretch of road near the deli.
The first accident, which took place at the intersection of Delaware Avenue (county Route 656) and Station Road in 2004, was recorded as a minor motor vehicle collision with no injuries reported, and also no mention by either of the drivers about a view obstruction.
The same held true for the accident reported for 2006 in that intersection.
Mr. Kamienski was informed that as a private citizen, he had right to look into the matter and write letters to the county requesting an accident report sheet in which any accidents that had taken place on the road would be provided to him.
In a letter addressed to Martin Livingston, the Burlington County traffic engineer, Mr. Kamienski wrote, "When there are trucks parked on both sides of the Delaware Avenue at the same time, the oncoming traffic has to play ‘chicken’ with each other as there is not enough room for two cars to pass the trucks at the same time.’"
Maria Kolari, current owner of the deli, has said that she and her husband, Abe Kolari, have owned the deli since September 2006, and are very upset at the recent clamor to establish an ordinance that would prohibit trucks from parking on the shoulder of the road near the deli.
"Of course my business is going to be worse" if an ordinance passed, she said.
Because of the location of the deli at the intersection, there is limited parking for motorists, however Ms. Kolari said she feels that banning trucks from stopping by to grab a quick meal would definitely hurt business.
Ms. Kolari also mentioned that the building itself has been there for over 30 years and when the couple took over the business last fall, they never anticipated facing any issues such as this.
When asked what percentage of customers are truck drivers, Ms. Kolari replied, "It’s too early to tell what percentage of my business comes from the truck drivers, but I haven’t heard any rumors of accidents on this road," she said.
Ms. Kolari and her husband also planned to be present at the work session meeting as well.
