By David Kilby, Staff Writer
CRANBURY — Not requiring residents to shovel their sidewalks has caused problems this winter, and some residents are concerned for the safety of their children who have to walk home from school on main roads.
Maryjean Mucciarone, of Plainsboro Road, and Marie Stiglic, of Wheatfield Road, spoke up at the Township Committee meeting Monday, saying unshoveled sidewalks have caused their children to walk home from school on the road.
”He’s been walking on Plainsboro Road at six o clock at night, and that’s not a good time to be walking on Plainsboro Road,” Ms. Stiglic said of her son.
It wasn’t until well after the first few large snowstorms that she noticed her son was walking right in the middle of Plainsboro Road during rush hour because this really isn’t something middle school students are going to bother talking about, she explained.
”It’s a walking town,” she added, saying sidewalks should be easily accessible to all residents.
”If you have a sidewalk along your house, you have the responsibility to maintain it,” Ms. Mucciarone said.
She said that, for children’s safety, the township should have an ordinance requiring residents to clear sidewalks by their homes.
”We no longer have a bus,” she added. “Our kids are getting home by themselves.”
When the snow was at its highest, there were places where snow was piled 6 feet high right in front of crosswalks, Ms. Mucciarone said.
”We’re one of the only towns in the area that doesn’t have a sidewalk ordinance,” Committeeman Jay Taylor said.
He said such an ordinance probably should include clearing away snow from fire hydrants as well.
”If a house is on fire, the last thing we want is to be looking for a hydrant,” he said.
”At this point I’m not for or against it,” Committeeman Dan Mulligan said, regarding a possible ordinance. “I’m just concerned we’d have to answer all of the questions” such as what if a shoveled sidewalk leaves ice behind?
Mayor Win Cody also was concerned that residents not living on the main thoroughfares would have an issue with the ordinance.
Richard Kallan, of Wynnewood Drive, said the ordinance wouldn’t make sense in his development, which is just a closed loop with 27 homes. He also remembered this same question came up about 15 years ago, and the township decided to not pass the ordinance.
”The response was either we do it for the entire town or we don’t do it at all,” he said. “Instead of pitting one area against another, we decided not to pass the ordinance.”
The ordinance requiring residents to remove snow from fire hydrants in Monroe has led to some debate between commissioners of the fire departments.
When Fire Commissioner Charles Dipierro, of Fire District 1, found out Fire District 3 cleared snow from a hydrant on school property, he brought up the issue at the Feb. 8 District 3 meeting, saying clearing snow from hydrants and sidewalks is not the job of firefighters.
Fire Commissioner Douglas Martin of District 3 defended his department,, saying removing snow from fire hydrants is “proactive fire safety”.
The Monroe ordinance says all snow and ice on sidewalks and around fire hydrants must be removed by the owner, occupant or tenant of the property abutting the sidewalk or fire hydrant.
”At some point, there will be a work session, within the next few meetings, in terms of whether we’ll do something or not,” Mr. Taylor said regarding the possible establishment of an snow removal ordinance.