School Referendum Vote Approaches

• January 20, 2005 SentineNorth Brunswick " South Brunswick l SO* Health & I Fitness Make eye care a priority this year Page 27 ®»i -a '•':••• CHfilS KELLY staff North Brunswick's Kim Davis lets loose during her solo with The Destiny Family Worship Center Choir at LInwood Middle School In North Brunswick on Monday during a program honoring the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. See story, page 22. Peacemaker Rising truck traffic trend School referendum Essay wins school free presentation of play expected to continue Page 18 vote approaches Watchdog group's See related story, page 3 rest, according to Marshall report has bad news soar more than 80 percent by Planning Board Sigal, the board's business Quote of the week: 2020, according to the report. administrator. for commuters "New Jersey's traffic conges- report and mayor "Assuming a 20-year matu- "Some of us like vanilla, some tion is slated to worsen consid- skeptical of plan rity schedule and an interest of us like chocolate, and some erably in the next two decades, rate of 4.5 percent at the time of us like strawberry or mint with traffic growing expo- the bonds are sold, the taxes on chocolate chip Ice cream, but nentially, by more than eight the average home in North the most important thing to rivers in Middlesex County are more likely times its current level," the axes for the average Brunswick assessed at realize is that we all like Ice to be killed by a truck report found. $154,700 would increase by ap- cream. Our differences are what D North Brunswick home- than anything else in the state, Middlesex County will also proximately $70 per year," Sigal make us unique and special," Towner would increase a trend predicted to continue have the dubious distinction of about $70 next year if residents said. •—Mark Aaron over the next few decades. having the highest heavy truck approve school renovations next The proposed referendum Page 18 That's just one of the ominous volume in the state by then, week. includes funding renovations to conclusions reached by the Tri- according to the report. Residents can go to their John Adams, Judd, Livingston State Transportation Campaign, "Some counties will fare local polling places from 2-9 Park and Parsons elementary Index a nonprofit transportation worse than others," said p.m. on Tuesday to vote on the schools, and Linwood Middle Business 37 watchdog group that evaluated Michelle Ernst, Tri-State's staff North Brunswick Board of School. analyst and the author of the Classified/Employment .40 truck traffic throughout Now Education's $32.4 million bond Schools Superintendent ' •' 1 Crossword 31 Jersey in a recent report. report. referendum to fund the renova- Robert Rimmer said it's the ' 'I 1 "Highest truck deaths" is Middlesex County ranked tion of five township schools. board's desire to provide more Entertainment 32 stamped across the Middlesex first in the state with 13 truck- If residents vote for the ref- educational space and to elimi- Milestones 26 County fact sheet from the Tri- related fatalities in 2003. Tri- erendum, the state's nate the need for instructional Obituaries 2.9 State report titled "The Trucks State predicts that number will Department of Education would trailers at all schools. Opinion 6 Are Coming — What Growing rise to 21 deaths by 2020. fund $7.6 million of the project. "Currently, several pro- Police Beat 23 Truck Traffic Will Mean for Overall daily truck traffic in The board would borrow grams are conducted from 1998 through the county was carts," Rimmer said. "Others Sports 35 New Jersey's Quality of Life." approximately $24.8 million The number of tractor-trail- 1,181,905 vehicle miles trav- through the sale of bonds, are limited by insufficient class- ers and trucks thundering eled (VMT). That number will which would be paid back over room space, a lack of proper www.gmnews.com (Continued on page 3) down New Jersey highways will a 20-year period, to fund the (Continued on page 16) 2 SENTINEL, January 20, 2005 A.CJVAOORE NO ONE DOES ARTS, CRAFTS & FLORALS BETTER! 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Route Source: TSTC analysis of National PerrinevlJle Rd. 2 Crossing 440 Route 27 287 Highway Traffic Safety Edison Administration's Fatality Analysis US 1 t Source: derived from FHWA's Freight Analysis Framework Reporting System (PARS), 2002 US 9 1 Source: NHTSA'S Fatality Analysis Reporting System Rising truck traffic trend Too much traffic? Take •<•*• (Continued from page I) of it, Being a very densely populated county, most of the existing rail lines go through areas very jump to 2,168,776 by 2020, an 84-percent close to residential development. That's where you the bus, planner says increase, according to the report. have a huge reaction by the public." What is it about Middlesex County that makes There is roughly a million square feet of ware- iddlesex County Planning Many accidents are not the fault it No. Ion the list? house space around Exit 8A and plans in the Director George M. of truckers, but rather the single "All that traffic generated around [New Jersey works for millions more, he said. M Ververides has found a occupancy vehicles that cut in front Turnpike]" Exit 8A," said Damien Newton, Tri- simple way to deal with the ever- of them, Ververides said. State's New Jersey coordinator. 'There's a lot of Middlesex County is prone to warehouse increasing truck traffic on county "The trucks just can't stop in warehouses, storehouses and changeover facili- development because of its proximity to highways, he said. roads. time," he said. "I see it every morn- ties." He stays off them as much as ing." s The group is promoting the need for more rail "We're hoping and trying to encourage that possible and takes the bus to work. Halogen lights in giant sport- freight, Newton said. warehouse areas be located near the major inter- "I have to practice what I utility vehicles that blind drivers in "You are never really going to be able to stop states to tie in with the expansion of Port Newark preach," Ververides said. "I'm try- smaller cars, and driving through truck growth, but that's one way you can slow the and Port Elizabeth," Ververides said. "Because of ing to encourage people to take right-on-red spots without stop- growth down," she said. the warehousing, we're somewhat becoming an mass transportation. I do have to ping all add to the mix, Ververides Although many other states also have freight inland port. The goods are coining out of port facil- bring my car in once in a while." said. moved primarily by trucks, New Jersey is more ities and coming down to our area, and from there distributed to the markets." He accepts the grim statistics "People have just lost their densely packed than other states, Newton said. that Middlesex County has the focus," he said. "The whole atti- "New Jersey is sort of a hub for the region, The steadily increasing truck traffic will highest number of truck-related tude of people has changed with with Port of Newark and Port of New York, a lot of spawn other problems, including more traffic deaths in the state. He accepts that the automobile. Unfortunately, we states don't have that," she said. delays, degradation of roads and bridges and Middlesex County is a major ware- don't have the law enforcement Middlesex County Planner George M, worsening air quality, the report predicts. house hub and "inland port" in the people out there to deal with this." Ververides is not surprised by the statistics. So what advice does Tri-State have for state. Ververides thinks some of the "I don't think truck traffic in Middlesex County Middlesex County commuters? But he says there are other fac- problems can be reduced through is ever going to be reduced," he said. "We are in "Tell them to support railroad projects," tors at work behind the numbers.. transportation proposals for high- the middle of one of the largest consumer markets Newton said.

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