A s a busy summer season ramps up in Red Bank, the Borough Council is contemplating a host of policy changes designed to improve traffic and pedestrian safety, and protect the quality of life for residents.
One proposed initiative — increased enforcement of the use of pedestrian crosswalks on Broad Street and Shrewsbury Avenue — would help to ensure the safety of locals, visitors and commuters, Mayor Pasquale Menna said.
“I’ve had a lot of requests from neighborhoods on both sides, so we have to do more traffic calming,” Menna said during the council’s June 26 meeting.
“If summonses have to be issued for jaywalking, as well as for cars that are not stopping for pedestrians, I think that’s the direction we want to take. We have to get people to understand we are going to be a pedestrian-friendly town.”
While the council agreed on the need to better protect walkers, a proposal to ban commercial drive-ups within 100 feet of residential zones proved more controversial.
In discussing the potential change, Menna said residents near some banks and fast-food establishments have complained of noise disturbances and traffic problems, necessitating a shift in the borough’s planning and development regulations.
“There have been some planning discussions by individuals out there, including locals retired from the planning field, that a municipality such as Red Bank should at least endeavor to try to protect more of our residential sectors from the impact … of commercial development,” he said.
Councilman Michael DuPont said the proposed ordinance, which would not apply to existing businesses or commercial zones, is a necessary step as more drive-up operations pop up around the state.
”Dunkin’ Donuts has a drive-thru … I saw a Manhattan Bagel the other day when I was in Camden that has a drive-thru,” he said. “I don’t think we need any more driveins near our neighborhoods. I would love to see the ordinance proposed.”
Councilman Arthur Murphy, however, said the ordinance could deter businesses from setting up shop in Red Bank. “I just don’t want to limit or discourage new business here,” he said. “I’d rather have the option to say ‘yes’ or ‘no.’ ”
The ordinance could also be difficult to enforce, since Red Bank’s residential areas are spread out around the borough, Councilwoman Sharon Lee said.
“Everywhere is a residential neighborhood,” she said. “I don’t think we have a true business district anymore that’s solid, except for Broad Street.”
Borough Attorney Daniel O’Hern said the ordinance would only apply to strictly residential zones, with no impact on “hybrid” zones containing mixed uses. Menna added that the rule change could be applied to the borough’s professional zones, but would likely have no impact on Shrewsbury Avenue, Broad Street or Monmouth Street.
“Those are already developed,” he said.
Ultimately, the council authorized Borough Administrator Stanley Sickels to prepare a draft version of the ordinance for possible introduction.
Debate continued as the council discussed a potential change at the intersection of White Street and Maple Avenue, which Menna said is currently a safety risk.
“I guess that people don’t understand that that is a delayed light, and there are a lot of near misses there all the time,” he said.
“The police department has said … that it is a problem.”
Council members disagreed over potential solutions to the issue. Some said prohibiting right turns on red off White Street could lead to substantial delays at the busy intersection. Others proposed changing the timing of the lights or adding a second westbound lane on White Street in order to prevent possible collisions without significantly delaying traffic.
The council finally resolved to refer the matter to the police department, which Murphy said would be able to review all aspects of the problem before making a recommendation. Traffic, he added, should rank second to safety on the borough’s list of concerns.
“Personally, I don’t care if [drivers] are sitting,” he said. “Nobody is getting hurt; that’s the bottom line. If you sit in traffic, you sit in traffic.”
The council’s final traffic-related discussion item concerned the railroad bridge near the intersection of Shrewsbury Avenue and West Front Street, which has been repeatedly hit by commercial trucks in recent years.
“Every time these incidents happen, there is a lot of inconvenience to our visitors, to our commercial district, to our residents, and most importantly, to our volunteers and police officers,” Menna said.
“The police department has to redirect traffic because the truck has to be extricated from the bridge. That all takes … manpower and overtime.”
In response, the council plans to propose an ordinance that would levy a $1,000 fine against any commercial driver whose truck collides with the bridge. While serving as more of a deterrent than the relatively minor traffic fines that drivers face, Menna said the ordinance would also keep the borough from losing money each time a truck gets stuck.
“If there are any direct, out-of-pocket [and] reimbursable costs by the municipality, then those will be passed on,” he said. “It would be fact-specific to the situation.”
The council’s next meeting is scheduled for July 10.