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Cranford leaders outline expanded pedestrian and traffic-safety steps, propose e‑bike rules
Summary
Town officials described a multi-pronged program of rapid‑flash beacons, targeted enforcement, new signs and speed studies to address pedestrian safety and vehicle traffic in Cranford; police and the Complete Streets Advisory Board said an e‑bike ordinance and targeted summer safety education are next steps.
Cranford Mayor Terry Curran and public-safety officials on April 24 described a series of traffic- and pedestrian-safety measures the township has installed or plans to add, and said the police department is using targeted data to direct enforcement.
Town officials said the Cranford Police Department has 26 rapid‑flash beacons deployed around downtown and near schools, has run more than 20 speed studies this year and is pairing enforcement details with education and engineering changes. Administrative Captain Gene Perata said the town is also using pedestrian decoys, selective enforcement and electronic speed signs to shape behavior.
The measures are part of a “holistic approach,” Commissioner Kathleen Miller Puente said, and include engineering changes, signage and enforcement. Miller Puente said the town is also planning an ordinance to give police more enforcement tools for e‑bikes by summer and a middle‑school bike‑safety presentation before the school year ends.
Perata said, “There’s 26, rapid flash beacons, the RFBs in town. They are on the periphery of downtown, and a lot of them are near schools or on our safe route to schools.” He added the department pairs the beacons with plain‑clothes pedestrian decoys and radioed enforcement when motorists fail to stop for crossing pedestrians.
The town highlighted recent and planned installations: a beacon planned as part of the Orange/Birch pedestrian improvement project near the Orange Avenue pool (striping and the sign had not yet been installed), a recently added beacon at Lincoln and Broad on a safe route to Hillside Avenue School, and additional placements the police traffic bureau is analyzing for later this summer. Town staff said some locations requested by residents were rejected because they would be too close to existing beacons and could dilute the flashing signal’s effect.
Officials also described targeted measures to reduce truck traffic on Lexington Avenue. New signs now discourage trucks from turning onto Lexington from Raritan and from turning left under the railroad; the department said the signs, plus enforcement, should reduce truck volume on the residential street.
Police described how they use electronic speed‑display signs and speed studies to avoid a “one‑size‑fits‑all” approach. Perata said the sign sometimes does not display a motorist’s speed while a speed study runs; that keeps the sign from altering motorists’ behavior while the unit records baseline speeds. Captain Perata urged residents to request local speed studies through the police traffic bureau or the department’s app.
Mayor Curran stressed resident input. “It really has been helpful to hear from residents,” she said, describing requests that led to signs and stop‑sign proposals. The township committee recently approved a stop sign at Pacific; staff said an ordinance for a stop sign on Fairfield/Georgia is expected soon.
Officials also said they are working with Union County and the New Jersey Turnpike Authority or state agencies when roads or signals fall outside municipal control. Curran noted the jug handle at Route 136 and the traffic light there are maintained by the Turnpike Authority, which limits the borough’s direct authority over some congestion points.
What’s next: the police department is drafting an e‑bike ordinance for the summer, expanding pedestrian‑safety education, continuing speed studies and targeting selective enforcement. The town encouraged residents to report issues via the Cranford Police Department app or Nixle for faster response and cited recent enforcement statistics—924 radar details and 933 selective‑enforcement details so far this year—as evidence of active enforcement directed by speed‑study data.
Ending: Officials asked residents to use push‑button crossings and avoid jaywalking, to sign up for Nixle for road‑closure and safety alerts, and to attend Complete Streets Advisory Board or public sessions about streetscape changes so staff can factor resident feedback into placement of signs and other measures.
