The Fair Haven council wants fewer ped x-ing signs on River Road. Complaints have also been made about the number of planters and trash cans along sidewalks, below. (Photo by Dustin Racioppi; click to enlarge)

By DUSTIN RACIOPPI

On River Road heading through Fair Haven heading toward Rumson, the signs are hard to miss: large, yellow warnings of pedestrian crossings, many bunched together.

The neon-bright clusters, while clearly there for safety purposes, might be a little much. Borough leadership certainly thinks so.

“There are just so many of them, I think you could make the argument that they lose their effectiveness,” Administrator Theresa Casagrande said. “Not only is there a sign, there’s a sign saying there’s a sign coming up.”

Mayor Mike Halfacre said the signs have been there for years, but complaints have been coming in to borough hall for just as long, and the council wants Monmouth County, which is responsible for River Road, to consider reducing the number. There are at least six on each side of the road through the business district, and another four or so just before the Rumson border.

“It’s reached a point where we need to do something about it,” he said.

You might say the council needs to do something about another clutter problem in town, not far from those big, honking signs.

The newest additions to the borough’s business district are also triggering a complaint-box blitz.

As part of the nearly-finished streetscape project, workers have placed new black trash cans and thus far plant-free planters on the sidewalks on River Road. Set between new lampposts and benches, the cylindrical fixtures seem to be every few feet.

Halfacre, who’s gotten an earful about the planters as well, said their placement is temporary.

“They were basically dropped off there. They’re going to be moved and placed in different areas,” he said. “Just wait until it’s done and it’s not going to look nearly as cluttered.”

Work on the nearly year-long, $886,000, federal stimulus-funded project is almost complete, Halface said. Workers are still configuring the wiring for the new lighting, and of course they need to shuffle the trash cans and planters around — “punch list stuff,” Halfacre said.

“It’s getting very close to the end,” he said, “but it’s the type of stuff that takes forever to finish up.”