A recent story in the Sentinel referred to the Boro apparently accepting a grant to make Grove/Eggert Avenues bike friendly. It’s impossible.
There are already “share the road” type signs in the area and orange flags at intersections to assist pedestrian visibility. Ostensibly, the speed limit has been reduced to 25 miles per hour.
Unfortunately, this is all ineffective window dressing.
In reality, the huge volume of vehicles through this stretch — including oversized trucks which routinely ignore the inadequate signage restricting them — makes biking treacherous.
The share the road signs and the orange flags are illusory in their effect. Ever notice how all of the orange flags are on one side of the street — never redistributed despite the regular drive-bys by borough vehicles.
Then there’s the high volume of Edison Fire/JFK EMS vehicles that routinely run the course at high speeds with excessive sirens blaring. Police patrols have been cut back and are rare despite my numerous complaints.
I urge the borough to “wake up and smell the coffee,” return the misplaced grant and concentrate on reforming the present perils before proceeding with this pipe dream.
Anyone who doubts these facts — especially the borough and Council — should take a bike ride along this stretch any weekday rush hour with an impartial camera crew.
RG DOUGLAS
Metuchen
