The Manalapan Crossing development plan was given preliminary approval by the Manalapan Planning Board on Jan. 24. There is one more approval needed for Manalapan to be transformed into a senior citizen haven without that many children to pay for schools and to defeat school referendums in accord with the wishes of people without children.
Aside from this minor children vs. no children (issue), the main problem with Manalapan Crossing has always been traffic. The corner of Millhurst Road and Route 33 is a traffic plan that is rated an “F” by the traffic expert for the builder, saying that will be going to perhaps a “D” or stay an “F.” With more cars it can always get worse.
There has never been a map or presentation submitted by the applicant or the applicant’s traffic expert showing to the Planning Board the basic picture of what the merger on Millhurst Road going north where two lanes will have to merge into one lane before going over the little bridge that allows for traffic only one lane each way. Why is this picture of the merger and the presentation of the expert’s moving diagram being ignored?
The board ignores this merger without traffic signals being shown to it and whether there will be traffic rules for a right of way for school buses. Will the traffic speed be adjusted for this merger and going over the bridge? This haphazard appraisal and preliminary approval of the traffic and building plans is outrageous.
A board of good people, I believe only two or three of whom have children in Manalapan schools, doing a poor job of gathering information needed to make an approval without seeing pictures and diagrams and traffic signals for this merger involving school buses. This board has not done its job and I don’t know why. They must!
People of Manalapan with children must demand that pictures, diagrams and the moving traffic diagram for Millhurst Road going north showing two lanes of traffic merging into one lane before the bridge be given to the Planning Board or the Township Committee (should) take over the board. It must be shown the board can see the traffic will be safely managed, especially signals and rights of way for school buses.
C’mon people of Manalapan, if you have kids you must demand this Planning Board have clear pictures, diagrams, signals and mergers. If the people on the board who get appointed over and over can’t do the job, then we need a new board.
Brad Berger
Manalapan