Vehicles help break the cycle of gas dependence
Police say motorcycle unit will add maneuverability, stealth and low fuel costs
BY CHRIS GAETANO
Staff Writer

CHRIS GAETANO Patrolman First Class Dale Owens (r) and Patrol Officer Frank Mongalieri show off South Brunswick's two new motorcycles.

SOUTH BRUNSWICK - Two police officers donned leather gloves and white helmets before roaring up and down the road on the department's brand-new pair of patrol motorcycles on Tuesday.

The vehicles, purchased through a $73,000 grant from the New Jersey Safe Corridors Program, will be the first to patrol the township since 1935, when the State Police monitored South Brunswick's busy roads. Now, 72 years later, the town has grown, and the roads have become that much busier. Chief Raymond Hayducka praised the purchase, saying the bikes will give the force greater flexibility in responding to emergencies as well as helping with routine traffic patrols.

"Our 42-square-mile community is diverse geographically, from rural farms to congested highways. These motorcycles will allow us to be diverse in how we respond to different problems we confront," Hayducka said.

The Safe Corridors Program identifies the most hazardous roads in the state - Route 1 in South Brunswick's case - and funds programs to improve safety.

The Motorcycle Patrol Unit, composed of Patrolmen Dale Owens and Frank Mongalieri, has already been in use for about a month, and in that time the number of traffic summonses has tripled. Hayducka said that the advantages of a motorcycle patrol are many, not the least of which is an average $6,500 fuel savings compared to what two patrol cars would consume. He also said that the size and maneuverability of motorcycles allow them to reach emergencies faster, and they blend into traffic more easily than a patrol car might.

"These bikes hide very well, so ticket production has been improved," Mongalieri said.

Mongalieri and Owens both ride motorcycles for recreation as well as work, but needed to attend a two-week training session in Texas put together by Northwestern University and Harley-Davidson. The bikes, the Harley Road King police model, have since patrolled all over town, from the sleepiest residential neighborhoods to the busiest highways. Mongalieri said that the vehicles were put to the test when officers needed to respond to a car accident on Route 1 and the bikes, maneuvering through traffic, managed to get there before any patrol cars could.

Mayor Frank Gambatese said that when the idea was first presented before the Township Council, they were skeptical, but were won over when the cost advantages between new motorcycles versus new patrol cars became apparent. He said that the vehicles will help with traffic enforcement a great deal.

"Motorcycles are a very intimidating factor in fighting traffic problems. ... We need a very efficient police department and these bikes will help," Gambatese said.

Pam Fischer, director of the New Jersey Division of Highway Traffic Safety, which runs the Safe Corridors Program, said that the bikes' ability to improve traffic safety also needs motorists to do their part. She pointed out that the patrol unit can also act as a positive role model for motorists, especially other motorcycle riders.