Police dept. gets back in the saddle; motorcycles added to township roads

By: Paul Koepp
   Township police say speeding tickets have tripled in the month since they brought back a fixture of the distant past, a motorcycle unit.
   Starting in the 1930s, the New Jersey State Police used motorcycles to patrol Route 13, now known as Route 27. The highway was then the most-traveled road in the country, according to federal figures provide by the department at a Tuesday press conference announcing the return of motorcycle patrols to the township.
   Two Harley-Davidson Road King motorcycles are rumbling through the rural roads, residential streets, and congested highways of South Brunswick, with two more possibly on the way, as part of the Police Motorcycle Unit.
   "Back then, the town was rural and motorcycles were more efficient than cars. Today, we’re starting to see a resurgence in the use of motorcycles," police Chief Raymond Hayducka said at Tuesday, adding that traffic is the top concern expressed to police by township residents.
   The maneuverability of the new vehicles is already making a positive impact on roads like Route 1, police said.
   "Cars block up the shoulder on both lanes, and the motorcycles let us get to accidents and emergency calls more easily," said Patrol Officer Frank Mongalieri, one of the two officers assigned to the unit. "Our response time is much better."
   The unit’s other officer, Patrolman 1st Class Dale Owens, said the motorcycles also "hide very well" in traffic in residential areas, enabling him to catch speeders.
   Chief Hayducka said radar summonses have tripled in the month that the motorcycle unit has been on the road. In addition, he said another police department conducted a study showing that the fuel cost savings of two motorcycles instead of two patrol cars is about $6,500 per year. The savings are probably even greater with the current high gas prices, he said.
   The unit was paid for with a $73,000 state Safe Corridors grant. Route 1 is designated as part of the Safe Corridors Program, meaning that fines for traffic violations like speeding and aggressive driving on that highway are doubled.
   Patrol Officers Owens and Mongalieri trained on motorcycles to learn difficult maneuvers for two weeks in December 2006 in Arlington, Texas. However, the privilege of being the first members of the new motorcycle unit came with a price.
   "We both fell off well over 100 times, and that’s 900 pounds of equipment lying on top of you," said Patrolman Mongalieri.