EAST BRUNSWICK — The township is looking into the question of whether dump trucks driving through the Pine Ridge neighborhood, off Edgeboro Road, are legally allowed to use those roads.
During the Sept. 8 Township Council meeting, Denise Contrino, a former Pine Ridge homeowners’ association president who is now running for council, said she and her neighbors see the dump trucks using the roads, likely as a shortcut to get to and from the nearby Edgeboro Landfill. She was concerned the trucks could hit someone, especially a child, and wondered if they are too heavy for the roads.
Contrino told the Sentinel that the trucks travel on Kennedy Boulevard, Ainsworth Avenue and Schoolhouse Lane, which connects to Edgeboro Road. The trucks are usually on the roads between 9 and 11 a.m., and she said she fears they are exceeding the 25 mph speed limit on those roads.
She said a neighbor has called the police department a number of times about the trucks.
During the meeting, township Business Administrator James White said he needed to do some research to find the weight limits for vehicles on those roads. He said he can also contact the police department regarding the speeding question.
“That’s easier,” he said, referring to enforcement.
Contrino, noting that she does not know who owns the dump trucks, said sees them as she waits for the school bus with her children each morning.
Contrino, who is also a member of the township Zoning Board of Adjustment, said there a lot of children on the road during the early morning hours when the trucks go by. Although most children are in school later in the morning, there are some who are too young for school.
She called the situation “an accident waiting to happen,” and said it would be difficult for the heavy trucks to “stop on a dime” if a child happened to run into the street.
“It’s frightening to watch one of these trucks on the roads,” she said.
White said that if there is a weight restriction, the police department would have the ability to issue summonses.