Officials must take action now to avert future tragedies
It's very sad to be writing about the recent fatalities that happened recently in Old Bridge ("Fatalities Prompt Action at Two Old Bridge Intersections," Suburban, Feb. 14).

What's sadder, though, is that meaningful action always seems to come after a tragedy has happened. When Mayor Jim Phillips says there are criteria to be met in order to get a traffic light, it unfortunately means a death must occur before it becomes a priority for the New Jersey Department of Transportation (DOT). It has taken Councilman Reggie Butler's prodding and Mayor Phillips' letter to the DOT to be considered an "emergency" by the state.

Hopefully, their efforts will bring results to the intersections where these young residents lost their promising lives. But it is still too little, too late for these children and their distraught families. I don't think officials should be applauded for their efforts after the fact when someone's child had to die in order for them to act. As a resident and a parent of young-adult drivers, I would like to see town officials move from a reactive stance to a preventive one.

While I'm sure all residents can quickly name dangerous intersections they are familiar with throughout Old Bridge, I will name the one I am keenly aware of, as I'm sure my other neighbors are as well. That would be the very hazardous intersection of Valley Vale and Ticetown Lane.

There have been many serious accidents at that intersection, and many more are certain to occur. I say a prayer when my children leave the house, knowing that they have to monitor four different directions in order to time their exit out of Valley Vale. Why not approach the DOT now with the statistics and try to get the ball moving before a death happens there? Doesn't it make more sense to take preemptive steps to avoid pain and anguish such as that already suffered by the parents and families of some township teenagers?

I would like the town officials to do a study with the statistics from Old Bridge accidents and petition the state and county to expedite safety measures for all locations within Old Bridge that are deemed hazardous. Why wait? To see if another death will occur in town? Unfortunately, it's a certainty that it will happen again … it's just a matter of where and when. It is so obvious.

I understand that this process takes time and a lot of red tape, but isn't saving lives worth the effort? One more death in Old Bridge is one too many.

Councilman Brian Cahill stated, "If we can avoid another accident, I think we owe it to the residents to do that…I just don't want to see another tragedy happen." Councilman Cahill, all the residents of Old Bridge agree with you. None of us want to get a call or a knock at our door telling us our precious child has died on a township road in an accident that was perhaps preventable.

Let's do something now to avert these tragedies and perhaps we won't have to discuss fatalities at a town meeting in the future.

Marsha Mancini

Old Bridge