Letters
Developments would make dangerous stretch of road worse

Page 16 of this past week's (Feb. 23) Sentinel sadly posted two separate articles reporting fatal accidents. Both ironically occurred on Route 1, just south of Aaron Road. To make matters worse, we can expect more traffic on Route 1, as an alternative to the New Jersey Turnpike as tolls continue to increase, and regulations discouraging trucks are relaxed. This specific stretch of Route 1 is especially notorious since there is a rapid reduction as traffic funnels from four lanes to two.

First, at the Route 1/Aaron Road intersection one lane is reduced. This is compounded with the removal of the shoulder, which creates an illusion of an extra lane and a treacherous hazard, as drivers make a right turn on red from Aaron Road onto Route 1 south.

Secondly, tractor trailers illegally park in the Route 1 shoulder before the traffic light, blocking visibility of Aaron Road drivers turning on to Route 1 south.

Next there is a visual obstruction at the Garden State Farmers Market, where a pole blocks the vision of their customers exiting from their driveway onto Route 1 south into oncoming high-speed traffic, where there is no shoulder.

Neither state (New Jersey DOT, Acting Gov. Richard Codey) nor North Brunswick representation responded in regards to my traffic concerns. But now developers and township officials want to lead us into the future.

It is right at this dangerous location that we are hearing about proposals to build the new North Brunswick transit station. Yes, history repeats itself and - similar to when Commerce Boulevard, Governor's Pointe, and Regal Cinema developments were proposed - paid experts will tell us there will be minimal traffic impact. (I'll leave school population and water/sewer infrastructure issues for another time.) But let's not forget the additional sleeping giant of planned development looming next to the Regal Cinema site where the previous ShopRite construction was abandoned. Even more housing and commercial use development and traffic is planned.

Enough is enough. We need to stop future North Brunswick fatalities and accidents by fixing this intersection now. Don't let the transit station or other bad zoning decisions make it worse.

John A. Seber

North Brunswick

Elected officials duping residents to benefit developers

A few years back, the voters in New Jersey actually voted for and overwhelmingly supported a new tax to help fund open space. Taxpayers were willing to fund preserving open space in our rapidly developing and overcrowded state.

Never in our wildest dreams would we have ever thought this "preserved land" would be swapped, diverted, exchanged or stolen by our elected officials. Thompson Park in Monroe, Elizabeth River Park in Union and Heavenly Farms in East Brunswick are just a few already on that list, with Boyd Park soon to be added by the amount of dredging being done in the New Brunswick area of the Raritan River.

New Jersey taxpayers, beware. You are being duped once again by your elected officials for the sake of developers. Please help stop this political disregard for what this tax was intended by voicing your concern.

Barbara Pritchard

Milltown