Legislation hopes to make Route 1 safer Township to be included in Safe Corridor regulations BY CHARLES W. KIM Staff Writer CHARLES W. KIM Assemblyman Bill Baroni (R-14th District) and South Brunswick Police Chief Michael Paquette announce new legislation to make Route 1 safer in the township. SOUTH BRUNSWICK — State Assemblyman Bill Baroni (R-14) thinks Route 1 is too dangerous. "This road has become a danger to families," Baroni said during a press conference at the intersection of Major Road and Route 1 Tuesday. Baroni called the conference in South Brunswick to announce sponsoring three pieces of legislation that would extend the present "Safe Corridor" area and remove big trucks from the roadway. "We have to do everything we can to change the way we drive Route 1. This road is dangerous," Baroni said. The first bill would include sections of municipalities, like South Brunswick, that were cut out of the Safe Corridor legislation. The Safe Corridor bill was passed into law last year and doubles fines for motor vehicle violations on several 10-mile sections of roads such as Route 1 and Route 9. The present Safe Corridor on Route 1 starts in Plainsboro and ends at Ridge Road in South Brunswick. The corridor picks up again at Henderson Road and continues north into Edison. Those sections of Route 1 were selected by the state Department of Transportation (DOT) based on the percentage of serious accidents on the roadway. "Our numbers [of accidents and violations] speak for themselves," said SouthBrunswick Police Chief Michael Paquette, who attended the conference. Paquette said there have been 1,300 summonses issued and 600 accidents on Route 1 in the township from Jan. 1, 2002, through the first quarter of this year. Paquette said there were three or four fatal accidents during that period. Traffic division Sgt. Mike Kushwara said the majority of the accidents took place during the peak morning and afternoon commute times. "Route 1 is our most monumental problem," Paquette said. According to the proposed bill, any municipality within 10 miles of where a Safe Corridor begins and ends would be included in the Safe Corridor. Baroni is also introducing two other bills to try and get big trucks off Route 1 and back on the New Jersey Turnpike. Those bills would restrict passenger vehicles from using the truck lanes of the turnpike during peak travel times of trucks and buses, and would reduce tolls on the turnpike for trucks traveling during peak periods. "We want to get rid of non-local trucks. These trucks do not start or stop in New Jersey," Baroni said. Baroni said these trucks, such as municipal waste trucks traveling to Pennsylvania, are using Route 1 as their "own free, private driveway" through the state. "This is a common sense solution," Baroni said. A ban on interstate trucks from using certain roads in the state was found to be unconstitutional last month by a federal judge in Newark. The ban was put in place by former Gov. Christine Whitman. Judge Stanley Chester said in his decision that while he saw the need for the ban, and a reduction in accidents with trucks, the ban gave trucking firms in New Jersey an unfair advantage, therefore violating the U.S. Constitution’s interstate commerce clause. Baroni said trucks would likely return to the turnpike if the toll reduction and restrictions went into effect. "The turnpike will want the authority to better regulate the road," Baroni said. New Jersey Turnpike spokesperson Joe Orlando said Wednesday that the authority had already considered these changes and had dismissed them. "It provides a nightmare scenario for motorists," Orlando said. According to Orlando, trucks only make up about 18 percent of the traffic using the turnpike. "They would be using 53 percent of the road," Orlando said. Restricting traffic on truck lanes would cause large backups on the passenger vehicle lanes and ramps, he said. Orlando also said that lowering tolls for truckers would not be a good idea. "We have financial obligations. Where would the money come from [to offset the reduction]?" he asked. Although Orlando said he feels the legislation would hurt the authority, he said he understands what Baroni is trying to do. "It is a good idea [to make Route 1 safer], but we’ve already looked at these things," Orlando said. Baroni said all three bills are currently before the Assembly’s Transportation Committee.