FOR YOUR SAFETY, IF YOU CAN AVOID THEM
By SUE MORGAN
They’re a little large, and tend to crowd the sidewalk. Mayor Mike Halfacre says he lost a “$1.79 cup of coffee” when he accidentally collided with one.
The six vivid yellow pedestrian-crossing signs recently installed on Fair Haven’s main drag by Monmouth County also add to a “cluttered” look on River Road, which already has its share of county-mandated signage, locals say.
Still, the borough officially welcomes the signs. Its governing body said so at a recent meeting.
Also welcome: moveable signs placed on the center line of River Road and Hance Road advising motorists to yield to pedestrians in crosswalks.
The fixed signs along River Road are intended to create more of a pedestrian-friendly
atmosphere in the downtown business district, which is sited along a busy county road.
They’re posted at Smith
Street, Battin Road, Church Street, DeNormandie Avenue, Elm Place and
Brown Lane.
But the placement of the support posts about two feet in from the sidewalk edge makes them hazardous to pedestrians who might not see
them, Halfacre said.
“We might want to look for a more of a small-town-like sign,” said Council President Jon Peters, who described the existing signs as more suitable for a wider highway.
But any suggestion that the signs be moved drew a rebuke from River Road resident Susan O’Brien.
“Don’t take the signs away,” O’Brien said. “They slow down the traffic.”
On his blog, Halfacre says “we are working with the County to try and reduce the number and size of the signs on River Road.”
The moveable signs, which have yet to be placed, will be on Hance Road at both Third Street and Jackson Street and along Fair Haven Road at Willow Street and Linden Drive.