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Page 4 THE VILLADOM TIMES I • April 9, 2014
Franklin Lakes
Borough concerned about tree limbs in roadway
by Frank J. McMahon
The Franklin Lakes Shade Tree Commission will soon
conduct a limbs-in-roadway program that involves asking
residents for help removing low-hanging tree limbs and
branches from within five feet of a curb.
Michael Tulp, chairman of the commission, pointed out
at a recent borough council meeting that it is the property
owners’ responsibility to remove those low-hanging tree
limbs and branches.
The borough’s tree expert, Kris Hasbrouck, told the
council that a recent survey of about a third of the borough
indicates there may be 1,000 or more homes in the borough
that need tree limbs and low-hanging branches removed.
“There are too many limbs and branches growing into
the roadway throughout the borough and this has become a
growing hazard to both people as well as to vehicles,” Tulp
said. “Our department of public works workers who drive
Police participate in texting crackdown
From April 1 through 21, law enforcement personnel
will be using a combination of traditional and innovative
strategies to crack down on motorists who text while driv-
ing. This effort is a part of the national U Drive. U Text. U
Pay. high-visibility enforcement campaign that combines
periods of intense enforcement of anti-texting laws with
advertising and media outreach to let people know about
the enforcement and convince them to obey the law.
The Franklin Lakes Police Department is one of sev-
eral local law enforcement agencies that will participate
in this campaign.
Violating New Jersey’s texting law, which became
effective on March 1, 2008, can be costly.
In 2012, there were 3,328 people killed and 421,000
injured nationwide in distraction affected crashes. The
University of Michigan’s Transportation Research Insti-
tute reports that a quarter of teens respond to a text mes-
sage once or more every time they drive, and 20 percent
of teens and 10 percent of parents admit that they have
extended, multi-message text conversations while driv-
ing. The successes of the Click It or Ticket and Drive Sober
or Get Pulled Over campaigns have proven that the com-
bination of tough laws, targeted advertising, and high-
visibility enforcement can change people’s risky traffic
safety behaviors. This strategy was implemented as part
of the Phone in One Hand. Ticket in the Other distraction
demonstration effort in Hartford, Connecticut and Syra-
cuse, New York in 2010 and 2011, and then in Delaware
and Sacramento County in 2012 and 2013. In both proj-
ects, texting and cell phone use declined dramatically.
Based on these encouraging results, the Department of
Transportation has developed the U Drive. U Text. U Pay.
national campaign.
States that applied and that have primary enforcement
of their text messaging laws were awarded approximately
$8 million in grant funding from the U.S. Department of
Transportation to support this and other efforts designed
to fight distracted driving. The national enforcement blitz
is also supported by an $8.5 million national advertising
campaign, designed to raise awareness about the enforce-
ment effort and remind people about the deadly conse-
quences of driving and texting. For more information,
visit www.distraction.gov
snowplow trucks try to clear the entire width of the street,
but their diligence in clearing the street leads to unfore-
seen altercations with limbs and branches that damage the
borough’s equipment.
“The damage is expensive, and the low-hanging limbs
and branches also prevent proper road maintenance.”
He added that low branches cause critical problems
for emergency vehicles and obstruct the roadway, making
it difficult for emergency vehicles to travel safely to the
scene of an emergency.
Tulp said garbage trucks, landscapers’ trucks, construc-
tion vehicles, and large delivery vehicles all have problems
with obstructions in the roadway. He emphasized that it
is the law for property owners to remove these low-hang-
ing limbs and branches and it is solely the responsibility of
individual property owners to maintain the land between
lot lines and the curb or pavement to prevent encroachment
on borough property.
According to Tulp, the commission is taking charge of
the program of notifying property owners of the problem,
and letters are being sent to property owners with problem
limbs, branches, and overhanging brush.
The council thanked Tulp and Hasbrouck for their
input and agreed that property owners are responsible for
removing low-hanging limbs and branches near the curb
or pavement lines.
Mayor Frank Bivona said the borough’s goal is not to
give out summonses, but to help residents maintain their
trees and shrubs that overhang the roadways.
Bivona did not want to set any time table to get this
done at this time, and he asked Tulp and Hasbrouck to see
how this letter approach works and then perhaps be more
specific in a second notice to residents.
“The goal is to get them in compliance and to work with
the residents as much as possible,” Bivona said.
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4-9-14 Kim/Janine