By Jacqueline Durett
Correspondent
SAYREVILLE — Residents from the Hilltop and Lee Avenue neighborhoods in Sayreville told council members that they are unhappy that their traffic situation has not gotten any better since a community meeting on the issue was held in December.
“We still have racing through the streets, going through stop signs, tractor trailers going over, jumping the curb to make the turn,” Jack Piskorski of Hilltop Avenue said during the March 27 meeting.
Hilltop and Lee are a popular cut-through between Washington Avenue and Route 9 south.
Piskorski said he wanted an update about the traffic study Councilman Steven Grillo proposed at the community meeting last year, which was hosted by Grillo and Councilman Pat Lembo. At that meeting, residents discussed speeding, truck traffic and even road rage.
Grillo told Piskorski that the study is scheduled for April, since the police felt they could not capture an accurate traffic count in the winter. Grillo acknowledged that trucks are permitted on the roads and even tractor trailers are permitted if they are making local deliveries.
Piskorski countered that the tractor trailers using those streets did not meet that criteria.
“There is nobody taking deliveries when the tractor trailer makes the turn and goes right out to Washington. Don’t tell me what goes on. I know what goes on up there. You’re not there,” he said.
Grillo said the police have also increased their presence in the neighborhood, but Piskorski also contested that, saying he has not seen any evidence of that. Grillo said he would have specific data at the next meeting about the speeding enforcement.
Also speaking on the issue was Bob Travisano, also of Hilltop. He said he did not feel the borough needed to wait until April to proceed with the traffic study.
“The traffic isn’t seasonal. It’s there all the time,” he said.
He also said he felt the borough needed to address signage, and he agreed with Piskorski about the lack of enforcement.
“There’s nobody sitting there watching the street,” he said, adding that he has offered in the past to allow the police to use his driveway for their efforts.
Travisano also asked about the various proposals Grillo and Lembo presented at the meeting, including a barrier preventing traffic from accessing Route 9 from Lee Avenue. Mayor Kennedy O’Brien had a similar question about whether a barrier was planned.
Grillo told them that no matter which solution is ultimately chosen, there would be some degree of negative impact. For instance, with the barrier, which he said was the most extreme solution proposed by the police, residents who live on Route 9 would not be able to access Lee -– something Route 9 residents at the December meeting said they did not want.
Grillo said no action would be taken until the traffic study had been completed.
“We need to get that traffic study done in April before we make any recommendations,” he said.
