Cranbury to target speeders

[Cranbury Press]

Cranbury to target speeders
Thursday, August 7, 2008 2:01 PM EDT
By Maria Prato-Gaines, Staff Writer




CRANBURY — Local police have just signed on to a countywide program, Slow Down in Our Town, and are hoping residents will follow suit.

The program provides signs for selected residents to post in their yards as a reminder for drivers to watch their speedometers while passing through the township.

The department plans to meet with the Township Committee in the near future to discuss the details of the program, said Chief of Police Ed Kahler.

”Speed is generally on top of everyone’s mind,” Chief Kahler said. “The department takes it very seriously. We are frequently out there trying to make Cranbury pedestrian-friendly.”

The department intends to start the program sometime in September to coincide with the start of a new school year, he said.
It also plans to target specific neighborhoods that may have dramatic speed changes posted or that are prone to speeders, Chief Kahler said.

He said some of those neighborhoods include Main Street, and Cranbury Neck and Plainsboro roads.

”We’ll simply knock on doors and see if people are interested,” Chief Kahler said about the department’s recruiting methods.

The Middlesex County Freeholders have funded the program and so far Cranbury has been provided with 25 approximately 2-foot by- 2-foot signs, he said.

Middlesex County Department of Transportation representative Carolyn Byrnes has been in charge of most of the legwork including production and distribution, Chief Kahler said.

The department has issued 252 speeding tickets between January and June and this newest program is the fourth set of initiatives police have taken to crack down on speeders, he said.

Other programs include radar patrol, a decoy vehicle sometimes accompanied with a speed sign in addition to a message board that will be set up on Route 130 corridor in coming months, Chief Kahler said.

Cranbury signed up for this most recent program after seeing South Brunswick and North Brunswick implement Slow Down in Our Town, he said.

”It’s kind of new but support from the public is overwhelming,” Chief Kahler said. “It’s almost like the residents themselves are asking motorists to slow down. It’s just not the law, it’s a matter of respect, too.”

Anyone interested in participating or with questions should contact Sgt. Frank Dillane at 609-395-0031.

http://www.packetonline.com/articles/2008/08/07/cranbury_press/news/doc489b333b963fb605663085.txt