School Traffic Safety a Top Priority in Point Pleasant
Borough Officials, Police, Engineers and School District Meet
On the first day of the 2015/2016 School Year, a host of Borough and School District officials met in the vicinity of Memorial Middle School and Point Pleasant Borough High School to observe traffic safety.
“School safety has b
een paramount with this administration,” Mayor Robert A. Sabosik said at a council meeting held this week. He said he and Borough Council members remain determined to increase safety. “The often dangerous driving patterns, including speeding, is a central focus on what the Borough intends to reel in to insure the safety of children.”
Point Pleasant Police Chief Richard Larsen was among the participants of the meeting on the first day of school and prepared an 18 point presentation for the governing body and public this week. Among the actions his department has and will take to increase safety for school travel include, having the “School 25 MPH” lettering on Spruce Street repainted; having new speed limit signs installed; creating a new crossing guard post; requesting the County agree to a new crosswalk; deploying a message board at various schools with traffic safety information; and sending a speed monitor trailer to the schools to warn drivers if they are exceeding the speed limit.
He said his department will also have a Special Class II officer patrolling each school for traffic regulations, as well as regular officers continuing random p
atrols every day with a concentration on arrival and dismissal times. There will also be an officer assigned to a post every day at arrival times in front of Memorial Middle School.
Borough Engineer Ernie Peters said plans are in a preliminary stage on how to correct the safety concerns and he is working with the Police Department, Borough and School District to come up with solutions. Among the means of increasing safety, Mr. Peters stressed the need to increase educational materials from the schools to parent drivers via the “Virtual Backpack” and “Honeywell System,” as well as signage an
d paint on the streets to slow vehicular traffic.
“We are taking the safety of the children very (seriously) … we must fix this problem before someone gets seriously hurt,” Mayor Sabosik said this week. “We intend to solve this problem.”
Mayor and Council have made no final decisions concerning how to remedy the dangerous conditions and currently await another report following additional meetings between the Police, Engineers and School District.