Brick Officials Work to Ensure Pedestrian Safety Near Beaches

The barrier island staple of traveling on foot or by beach cruiser bike has been a way of life for many, as natives and tourists find it easier than trying to drive Route 35 and find parking.

But is the mix of resort towns, a busy Route 35 straightaway, and heavy pedestrian traffic a safe one?

On the night of June 17, a k in a hit-and-run incident while walking south on the east side of Route 35 northbound near Silver Beach Road. The teen was critically injured. It was the most serious collision between pedestrian and vehicle known on the barrier island this season.

Brick guards, police on patrol

However, the state only controls so much. The funding and number of crossing guards and police officer stations are a local issue, Dee noted. 

Brick police employ a variety of methods to ensure pedestrian safety. Brick Police Capt. John Rein said that during the summer months, crossing guards are posted at the heaviest pedestrian areas. Trained civilian and school crossing guards are employed throughout the summer months at six different locations from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., when the beaches are closed.

The crossing guards are posted at:

• Brick Beach 3
• Bay Lane
• Curtis Point
• Pioneer Hose Firehouse, next to Used to Be's Restaurant

There are always seven guards on duty, with six posted throughout the day and one driving from post to post. Crossing guards are posted in pairs.

Additionally, Class 1 special police officers are used throughout the summer months for parking enforcement along Route 35 to monitor the metered parking areas, as well as regular police officers, Rein said.

"We do have officers during the summer months and throughout the rest of the year that are out there all day patrolling the streets to make sure pedestrians and bicyclists are walking and riding in a safe manner, and that vehicles are not interfering as well," Rein said.

With a recent change last year from yielding to stopping for pedestrians along Route 35, Rein said the department will be putting up additional signage to alert the drivers to where crosswalks are and what the new law states.

Rein advised pedestrians and bicyclists to cross Route 35 in approved crosswalk areas and to give vehicles ample stopping distance.

"It's not safe to step out in front of a car and assume they are going to stop in time," Rein said. "Stand in the crosswalk, make sure cars see you and that they slow down."

Pedestrians and bicyclists also are advised to utilize the sidewalks and if there are none, stay as close to the curb or edge of the road as possible.  

Toms River Police Lt. Jim Harris, is the instructor for a Pedestrian Decoy Program. According to a presentation available on the New Jersey State League of Municipalities website, Harris has devised a program that "produces a proactive Pedestrian Safety Awareness Initiative that focuses on the driver’s responsibilities when they perceive a pedestrian enter the roadway."

The program was devised based on 2008 statistics of traffic incidents utilizing a "decoy" or undercover officer to cross roadways at clearly marked crosswalks and work with an enforcement team to "identify, stop, and educate violators of New Jersey's pedestrians laws," according to the program. 

Harris' program offers guidelines for the safety of the "decoy" as well as the targeted crosswalks, rules and hopeful outcomes of the program in the presentation.

Ocean second in state in pedestrian accidents

As of July 3, the New Jersey Police Fatal Accident Investigation Unit has reported 10 pedestrian accidents in Ocean County, with Essex County holding the dubious distinction of leading in that category, with 11 pedestrian accidents. Ocean County has had the highest number of peda-cyclist accidents in New Jersey as of the year to date, with two.

There also have been a total of 22 "crashes" in Ocean County and 25 fatalities as of July 3, according to these same statistics. 

While statistics are not specified to the exact location within the counties, pedestrian and bicycle traffic throughout the summer months increases along with the number of incidents at nearby beach towns. 

Motorists who fail to stop for pedestrians in marked or unmarked crosswalks risk a $200 fine along with additional penalties, according to the NJ Commuter website.

Route 35 runs through Middlesex, Monmouth and Ocean counties. In Ocean County, Route 35 runs from the highway bridge over the Manasquan River in Point Pleasant Beach, southward to the entrance to Island Beach State Park in Berkeley Township.

The route continues to pass through Brick, Point Pleasant Beach and across a channel of the Manasquan River before entering Monmouth County.

There currently are no pedestrian safety projects along Route 35, said Jon Dee, spokesman for the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT). However, Dee noted there are numerous projects throughout the state, and through the 2012 capital program, NJDOT is proposing to double the amount of funding for pedestrian safety projects from $2 million (2011) to $4 million.

"The (Christie) administration takes the issue of pedestrian and bike safety very seriously," Dee said.