State removes signal despite O.B.'s request
Commuters sought to have Inverness light restored
BY LAUREN CIRAULO Staff Writer
Despite protests from commuters and Old Bridge officials, the state Department of Transportation (DOT) has removed the Inverness Drive park-andride Route 9 traffic signal.

Township officials said Monday that they were not notified by the state about its plans to dismantle the light, which they said was done late last week. The state had deactivated the light several months earlier, much to the dismay of commuters who were forced to relocate from the adjacent commuter bus stop.

"I had no idea that it was taken down. I pass by there all the time, but haven't been noticing that light since it was deactivated," Councilman G. Kevin Calogera said at Monday's Township Council meeting. "The state most certainly didn't tell us though."

The light was taken down approximately one month after the council approved a resolution requesting that the DOT refrain from removing the deactivated traffic light and to conduct further traffic studies. Township officials said they never received a response to that resolution.

"Route 9 is a state highway," Township Attorney Jerome Connery said. "We can make requests, but they're not binding. The DOT will do what they want to regardless. They don't even have to acknowledge us."

But that doesn't comfort the estimated 300 commuters who petitioned to have the light, and the accompanying bus stop, reactivated.

"Do they have the right to remove that light as they please?" asked commuter Amine Azzaoui. "My understanding is that such a thing shouldn't have happened. I believe we proved the merit of our cause to you, but basically all of our effort was wasted. You're supposed to serve our interest, but all we get is lack of involvement."

The light was deactivated in December in order to improve traffic flow on Route 9 and the township then relocated the bus stop from Inverness to Ferry Road.

According to commuters, the Township Council petitioned the state in 2006 to deactivate the traffic light after receiving a report from the police department about traffic jams and accidents that were related to the light. The township had asked that the state conduct a study of the Route 9 corridor between Ticetown Road and Ferry Road; reassess the need for a traffic signal at Route 9 and Inverness Drive; and consider alternative pedestrian operation controls such as bridges, walkways and shuttle buses. A DOT engineer later informed the township that the traffic signal was not operating properly and recommended shutting it down on a trial basis.

However, in an April 17 letter, the DOT affirmed its intent to remove the traffic signal permanently and informed the council that the department's Bureau of Traffic Engineering and Investigations (BTEI) initiated the work orders necessary for final signal removal.

The council's subsequent resolution was a last-ditch effort to prevent the light from being removed.

NJ Transit bus commuters said they have been substantially impacted by the light deactivation, with many citing an inconvenient and potentially dangerous 300-foot walk back to the park-and-ride despite several changes made at the Ferry Road bus stop to ensure safety.

"I'm not confident that the improvements made to Ferry Road are adequate to the task," said Mayor Jim Phillips. "I still worry. Safety is most troubling on my mind right now."

Phillips believes that there is little that the council can do now to restore the light, and he questioned the authenticity of the state's actions.

"I don't know whether they were really considering keeping that light up or if they were just placating us until they did what they wanted to do," Phillips said. "But clearly they have strong feelings about this and it's their territory. I don't know what more can be done."

Some commuters believe that if enough pressure is put on the state, they may comply with the requests of the council.

"I thought we had an agreement, but if it's necessary we should continue to pressure them with the facts," said commuter Tom Esemplare.

Azzaoui agreed.

"We need to reverse this decision and we need help from the council to continue to fight this," he said. "That is what you're required to do — ensure the contentment of your residents."

According to Phillips, there are no plans for the council to pursue the possible restoration of the light, but he encouraged commuters to pressure the DOT directly if they want to persist with the issue.