BERKELEY – Traffic safety continues to be a concern among residents in many areas of town.
At a recent Township Council meeting, a Silver Ridge Westerly resident talked about a bad crash at the intersection of Nostrand Drive and Whitmore Drive. She said a four-way blinking stop sign should be put there.
She has called the police in the past, asking them to put out the digital signs that tell you that you’re speeding, and the police have been very responsive, she said.
Evelyn Ludwig of nearby Crescent Drive noted how the neighborhood has elderly people walking their dogs, which can be dangerous with cars speeding by.
John Hurley said he lives on Nostrand. A crash hit with enough force that a vehicle flipped over.
“Every night at 5, people speed down Whitmore,” he said.
Every Berkeley Township Council meeting is attended by Police Chief Kevin Santucci or his designee. At this meeting, it was Capt. Peter La Rocca.
“We can certainly step up enforcement and do a traffic study,” he said.
Regarding a different kind of speeding, Ross Pirrotta, co-president of the Berkeley Shores Homeowners Association, wants a no-wake zone in the water. That neighborhood is made up of many lagoons emptying into the Barnegat Bay.
Councilman James Byrnes said there are signs planned for this.
Pirrotta also asked for some enforcement at the Amherst Beach parking lot. On some mornings, people are finding the remnants of whatever people did the night before in their cars.
This is where kids wait for their school bus, he said. No one wants their kids finding drug or sex paraphernalia.
Councilman Byrnes said solar lights are going to be installed there, and the police are working on cameras.
Pirrotta said that the sign that prohibits parking from dusk until dawn is not being enforced.
New Fire Truck
The Berkeley Township Council is borrowing $1,075,400 to buy a fire truck and other equipment.
A town has to put up 5% of the total amount when bonding. In this case, the down payment is $56,600. That’s why the amount being spent is $1,132,000, while the borrowed amount is $1,075,400.
The money will be used to purchase a pumper truck with equipment for the Manitou Park Volunteer Fire Company, as well as assorted other equipment for the volunteer fire companies.
Business Administrator Jay Delaney said this is the last bond ordinance of the year. The second reading of the ordinance is expected at the council’s November 17 meeting.
In other news, the town went out to bid for a variable refrigerant flow HVAC system for town hall, as well as lead paint inspection services.
Bus Stop Request
The Township Council requested that New Jersey Transit designate and install a sheltered bus stop along the northbound side of Route 9, approximately 350 feet north of Sloop Creek Road.
This would serve residents of the Tunnel 2 Towers development that is being built. This will consist of 99 apartments and 25 single-family homes just for veterans. There would also be 24/7 onsite support services.
“We’re going to make an assumption that most of the veterans in the apartments and single family homes won’t be driving,” Mayor John Bacchione said.
For more information, including how to donate or how to get help as a veteran, visit T2T.org.
During the portion of the meeting when the public speaks, resident Gerry Morey suggested putting one on the southbound side as well, for when they are returning.
The walls of the bus stop vestibules can be used to advertise local events, he said.
