Friday, June 6, 2008

Rt 130 Conditions

I received the message below on Tuesday and have removed Rebecca's last name and her address from the message.

Thanks Rebecca,

The Edgewater Park Reporter

----- Forwarded Message ----
From: Becky To: edgewaterparkreporter@yahoo.com
Sent: Tuesday, June 3, 2008 10:10:25 AM
Subject: (no subject)

May 20th 2008

Attention Local, State and Corporate Leaders;

RE: Intersection of State Highway Route 130 and Levitt Parkway in Burlington county

As a driver who uses this intersection several times a day, I would like to bring your attention to the area of Burlington County along the Route 130 corridor that includes Willingboro Town Square and the Edgewater Park businesses across the highway.

Although the work that is being done on the Willingboro side of Highway 130 is remarkable, there continues to exist some very dangerous traffic and pedestrian situations. I would strongly suggest that the following need to be addressed immediately.

  1. The New Jersey Transit bus stop is in an awkward spot. The road is narrow and does not allow for more than one bus to pass or park or pull over without blocking traffic. It is dangerous for people exiting and entering the buses.
  2. Sidewalks and crosswalks are not existent leading to or away from the bus top and the stop is hidden from Route 130 traffic. Pedestrians exiting the bus do not have easy access to the BCC campus, the CVS , the Commerce Bank, or any of the other shops or businesses in the complex without walking through a grass median and or crossing the narrow highly trafficked lane. This is always dangerous but especially so during inclement weather.
  3. The bus stop itself is a very small concrete pad with little signage and no sidewalks, not sufficient for passengers for one bus let alone the several Burlinks and NJ Transit buses that stop there.
  4. Crossing Route 130 is dangerous but especially when there are not any pedestrian signs, crosswalks or pedestrian crossing lights. At the intersection of Route 130, Levitt Parkway and Woodlane Road , the traffic is never stopped for pedestrians; there isn't a button or a light telling people when to cross. This really doesn't make sense considering the number of people living in the cluster units on the Edgwater Park side. Access for crossing Levitt Parkway to the Bank of America or Woodlane Road from the Apartments to the Pathmark is also the same situation.
  5. The turning lanes on Woodlane road are not clearly marked.
  6. The turning lanes on Levitt Parkway entering the intersection are a free for all.. There does not exist any marking for the lanes, people in the center lane may go straight or turn left there is no way of knowing which, Also cars exiting on the jug handle have great difficulty knowing what lane they need to be in because nothing is marked. If you have 2 lanes turning left, there should be signage stating so. I won't even go into the craziness of 3 lanes going into one as the cars enter Woodlane

In conclusion: I believe that if possible you need to work together as town officials, DOT, NJ Transit and the property owners to come up with a solution to the dangerous situation for pedestrians. Presently you have shoppers, commuters, college students, and diners, soon you will have high school students and even more consumers as well as additional office workers, you need to provide them with safe transit from property to property as pedestrians and passengers.

Solutions:

  1. Move the bus stop. There are several other places the buses could stop, inside the parking lots or less traveled lanes, but it really should be visible from 130 or have a large sign and not blocking a main access road.
  2. Sidewalks at all businesses, especially from Commerce Bank and Acme to the Taco Bell, no one should ever have to walk in the traffic lane or on the grass. Crosswalks and roads with speed bumps should have signs saying, stop for pedestrians.
  3. Make the bus stop larger with more seating and sidewalks leading to it.
  4. There really should exist a walk over on this particular intersection of Route 130, but in the absence of that, the traffic should be stopped by the push of a pedestrian button and there should be crosswalks should be clearly marked. Traffic should not make a right on the light where pedestrians are crossing.
  5. Mark the traffic lanes!!!! Make this a user friendly intersection!

If you cannot help solve these problems please refer this letter to someone who can solve it before the situation gets worse!

Sincerely,

Rebecca

Beverly , NJ 08010

CC: Willingboro City Officials

Edgewater Park City Officials

CVS

Commerce Bank

Taco Bell

Starbucks

Ruby Tuesdays

Burlington County College

Acme

NJ State Dept. of Transportation

NJ Transit

Burlington County Freeholders

Burlington County Transportation



15 comments:

Anonymous said...

Rebecca,

Burlington County ONLY had a surplus in the 2007 budget of $10,600,000.
Do you think the County will part with OUR MILLIONS to make in safer for US? I put OUR MILLIONS because for some strange reason the politicians in this state think that OUR money is actually theirs to spend & waste as they see fit. Just go checkout the Cafeteria Authority's new digs.

Anonymous said...

Rebecca, Rt 130 is a state road and is the responsibility of the NJ Dept. of Transportation.
All municipal, county, and state government entities, need to have a budget surplus to cover unexpected expenses. Look at a budget surplus as a emergency savings account. If it gets to low then the government has no way to pay for the unexpected expense- like a road repair, equipment breakdown ect. Some towns and school districts have in the past accumulated large surpluses and the interest earned were used to offset taxes.
Just thought you would like to know. The County is doing a much better job with its budget (lowered taxes) then our town or the state.

Anonymous said...

TO 2:12pm Post.

You see, that is exactly the kind of ridiculous comment that you will ONLY HEAR IN NJ:
"The County is doing a much better job with its budget (lowered taxes) then our town or the state."
REALLY? The County had a 13+ Million dollar budget SURPLUS in 2006 & almost 11 million in 2007 and you think they are doing a "better job" because they have lowered taxes a little for 2008?
Please, spread your false info somewhere else.
Burlington County has been OVER TAXING us for years!
How much EXTRA money does the County really need? If there were a natural disaster they would be calling FEMA & the FED, so what exactly is the "surplus" for? Is $11 millions enough for a County Cafeteria Authority?
Don't over tax us, throw us some crumbs & tell us you are doing a better job because YOU RETURNED SOME OF THE MONEY YOU OVERCHARGED US. That is the biggest bunch of crap that you hear ONLY in NJ.
When I was a kid, they told me NJ was the waste capital of the country, and I though that was because of all of the landfills. Not until later did I realize that this state is the TAX $ waste capital.
Keep this garbage up and you might force me to run for election in 2009. First thing I would do is put EVERY vote of EVERY bill on the front page of every County newspaper, so people could see which politicians are WASTING OUR MONEY.
YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.......

Anonymous said...

I am so ascarid, who don't you run this year. Maybe I am missing something but didn't the county lower taxes during a year when the state has cut state aid to the county as well as our town. Didn't the county have increases in the contracts for its employees? Didn't the county have an increase in premiums for insurances? The answer is yes to all. This county is one of the most fiscally responsible of all NJ counties.
To bad the same can't be said about our town. We have enjoyed the largest tax increases in 2 of the past 3 years. Why don't you run this fall for town council and show us how you will fix things.
Oh, and good luck getting the BCT to print a story on what is realy going on with our town council. If you take out a big ad, then maybe you could get a story about the E.P. waste.
Just check out today's BCT. They quoted the Mayor as saying that the township delayed buying new furniture. Well I wonder what township was planning to do with the new furniture they purchased last year, and I guess she forgot to mention the fact they just had to repaint the entire town hall this year and install new rugs. Gee did the Mayor also mention how they kicked the Sewer Dept out of the Municipal Building and now lost the $12,000 in rent? I read about it in this blog and have seen the new Sewer Office on Cooper Street. Did the BCT reporter look into that? No of course not, because the BCT reporter only reports on what she is told by the Administrator and the Mayoy. So good luck with getting the BCT to run your news stories on who voted which way, on any bill.

Anonymous said...

Sorry to disappoint you, but I am more disgusted then you with EP & the mismangement of funds that goes on here.
In reference to your suggestion that I run for office this year; well, I actually tried to do that but apparently the party already had people in mind for their positions when I applied. Shame Mr. Dovey did not have the courtesy, or class to follow-up on our meeting about the previously mentioned topic. But you should be happy to hear that a number of people have already offered support for 2009 (if I choose to do so).
Seems the big problem in EP is not which party controls the seats, but the quality & qualifications of those that do.
Let's be honest, if you saw a resume from ANY of the current committee members, would you hire ANY of them to manage a multi-million dollar budget? I think they would have to work their way up from the fry machine before going to the "drive-through" window? Just my opinion, but actions always speak louder than words....enjoy the new carpet.
Because you think the county is doing such a good job, let me put things in perspective for you:
If I charge you $10 for a $5 item, and turn around and give you a dollar back a year later, did you get a good deal? Ask your Feeholder? See, what you don't understand is ALL gov't agencies will spend their budget whether they need to or not, so it is not cut the next year. The fact that this County has such an outrageous surplus, just means even they couldn't spend all of the money. I think $10,600,000 would have provided a nice rate reduction in the tax rate (far better then what we are to receive in 2008).

Anonymous said...

Very interesting the story I read yesterday in the BCT regarding Edgewater Parks budget. The mayor makes it sound like "oh poor us, the township employees can't even get new furniture b/c of the budget cuts" WAKE UP PEOPLE!!!!

DOES SHE THINK WE'RE STUPID? The employee's received all new office furniture last year (yeh that's right, it's a proven fact that can be checked out) so I should hope they don't need new furniture again this year. And if Edgewater Park is in such a finacial bind WHY THE HELL did our committee approve the new paint job and carpeting in the township building? I guess that's more important than keeping our children safe while they walk to school. What the hell let's make sure our administrator has a nice office to work in to go along with her six figure salary and who cares about the children walking to school.

What a bunch of wasteful spending! We need some fiscally reasponsible people in office who know what the hell they are doing. That article in the BCT yesterday was so ridiculous and I'm sorry but it made our mayor sound like an idiot. Our township workers are on the verge of losing their jobs in today's economy and our mayor is crying b/c the office workers can't get new furniture. There's something wrong with that picture.

I HOPE FOR ALL OUR SAKES PEOPLE WAKE UP AND VOTE IN NEW BLOOD THIS ELECTION SEASON! WE NEED CHANGE HERE IN EDGEWATER PARK AND NOW IS THE TIME!!!!!!

John Boyle said...

The NJDOT's Rapid Design Team has made recommendations for pedestrian safety changes at Levitt Parkway and 130.

Recommendations include high visibility crosswalks, pedestrian signals with countdown timers and cutting back the median barrier back to allow for the crosswalk.

Contact Sheree Davis, NJDOT State Bicycle and Pedestrian Programs Manager. sheree.davis@dot.state.nj.us

The Governor has pledged (or rather packaged) $75 million for pedestrian safety on state roads.

Anonymous said...

What I want to know about yesterdays article is, who is the part time office worker they plan to cut? Could it be the recreation department? ...the women in the office already do that job! I don't believe theie is any part time secretary position in the office. They seem to hold multiple jobs...so who is it? And yes, I too have seen the new office furniture before the new paint job!

Anonymous said...

To anonymous 3:51 am:

If you are whom I think you are I have a question. Did you register to vote in Burlington County yet? That was the primary reason you were not selected as a candidate. As for not getting back to you, yes we owe you an apology for that. You had some good ideas but change takes time, one or two committee seats at a time because until you have a majority not much will change but at least you'll know what's going on from the "watchdog committee members". When enough people get fed up and believe me there alot more than last election; things will change slowly. However, if you hate living in EP that bad maybe you should consider moving back to Camden County.

Anonymous said...

First, everyone remember there is a Budget meeting June 10 at 6:30. Be there whether you agree or disagree ..... just be heard.

Second, the office worker is probably part time property maintenance because he was the only person left out of the article that committee has been discussing for the layoffs.

Third, not all the offices in the township got new furniture. You just simply have to look in the clerks or court office. But the tax office does have new furniture they got it in the beginning of last year. Their is also new furniture in the judges chamber. A desk and bookshelves that are housing the multitude of NJSA books.

Fourth everyone remember there is a Budget meeting June 10 at 6:30 PM. Be there whether you agree or disagree ....just be heard.

(Thought it was worth repeating)

Anonymous said...

Are you sure he was part time maintenance...or property code enforcer? He was contracted for one year anyway. Not salary. So I don't really think he should count. Besides, if they thought there were weeds growing before...wait til nobody is checking on your neighbors yards.

Anonymous said...

REF: 3:17 PM Post

I ALWAYS keep my word, and was registered in Burlington Co. right after our meeting, not to mention voted in the last primary.
As for your comment about moving to Camden County - just goes to show you how well you listen - I'm from Gloucester County. Based on what I pay in taxes here in EP, I think I've EARNED the right to complain about wasteful spending. The difference between myself & the rest of the critics on this Blog is I actually know how to fix this town & plan on doing so in the near future. While it will take a majority vote to accomplish anything productive, I thing you will be very surprised how some people will vote when the spotlight is put on them. Yes, it will not happen overnight, but a drowning man really doesn't care who is throwing the life-vest to him. By next year, this town (as well as the entire country) will be that drowning man if desperate changes are not made very soon.
In case you don't know what I am talking about,let me just give you a little idea of where our economy is heading. Real estate is almost completely shut down nationally, the auto industry is off over 30%, restaurants are off about the same, and retailers are feeling the pinch too. Add to that oil companies ripping us off and causing "artificial inflation" in a "depressed economy" and you have serious problems. I don't believe we have ever had widespread inflation during a recession, but that is what we are going to have because of the oil companies. When companies like JEVIC in Delanco close, it affects everyone in the area. Those trucks/drivers were all over EP in Wawa, the diners, etc. And guess what, when you loose a large shipping company, it allows the others to charge more because there is less competition. That's why your groceries are 25+%
higher since Jan.
Anyone that is not concerned about what is going on in the economy right now, will be in about six months. Don't wait for our "wonderful" Gov. Corzine to bail us out, because apparently he did not have many economic classes in college. The Counties need to get more involved at the municipal level, which they have not done in the past. They will only do so with pressure, hence my current criticism.

Anonymous said...

Property maintenance/code enforcement same thing. But that is who I was talking about.

Anonymous said...

To JB (anonymous),
I just read your comment about me on your June 7, 2008 3:51 AM Comment to this blog. You stated that I didn't "have the courtesy, or class to follow-up no our meeting about the previously mentioned topic".
Well I am sure surprised at your comment.
When you met with our county committee and asked to be considered as one of the candidates for this years Township Committee race, you were not registered to vote in Edgewater Park. You said that you would take care of that right away and I assume that you did.
I expected to hear from you, that you had registered, but you never contacted me. This may sound strange to you, but I feel that if you want to run for office you will work hard to get the confidence of the party who's support you want as well as the voters. If you want the support of our local Republican Party as well as the majority of the voters in Edgewater Park, you need to earn it by your community involvement. This was an area we identified, that you needed to address. Have you done that? Your background and business experience was impressive and the committee was looking foward to your getting involved with our committee, but we have not seen you since your interview. This lack of interest or support on your part in our party and town, as well as your public comments about me on this blog, certainly have left a less than favorable impression. I apologize if you felt ignored, but we needed to select our candidates so that they could file for the primary election and you would not have had the time to boost your community exposure. Just because you have great ideas and plans, you still need to get the voters to reconizie that and to vote for you.
Based on your comments, you seem to think I am the the anonymous that is sparing with you. Your wrong, I sign my comments.

I hope that you will get involved in our township, we can always benefit from the experience of others. You have my email address so contact me, I will be glad to have your involvement.

Robert Dovey

Robert Dovey

Anonymous said...

Great article about the Kove moving its location...let's just drag some more seniors through the mud and get everything out of them that we can by enticing them to our beautiful town of Edgewater Park. Well truthfully its not such a bad town. We just have to learn to manage our own money better to be able to afford to live here. Come on folks, lets save our pennies cuz its gonna be a stormy year!