In Woodbridge Township, there are many streets that pedestrians need to utilize for walking. With that being said, there are many roads that have cars parked on both sides, with a substantial flow of traffic, that have no sidewalks. It is not safe for children walking to and from school, people commuting to work, citizens simply enjoying nice day out, nor is it safe for drivers trying to avoid hitting them.
Mayor John McCormac was asked if problems concerning the lack in sidewalks have been discussed and his response was, “Sidewalks are the responsibility of homeowners as are curbs. We cannot force anybody to put in sidewalks though we would like to.”
If it was the job of the township, the cost to taxpayers would be utterly outrageous. Demanding house owners to install sidewalks would also be too expensive. Right now, if the township was to install sidewalks near even just school zones, the rest of the town would complain that they had to pay for their own sidewalk. There is no scenario that the township could come up with that would be a win-win for everybody in the neighborhood.
Colonia High School student, Joseph Watts stated, “I was driving to my cousin’s house near Howell, NJ and saw a few police cars and an ambulance. I didn’t think much of it, but it turns out that a local lady jogging got skimmed by a car and was left there concussed and bleeding.”
In a case like that, it is difficult to put blame on anyone. There was no sidewalk so the jogger had to take up space in the road that the driver needed, but should she have even started jogging on a road without a sidewalk? Roads in Woodbridge Township such as New Dover Road, Harrow Drive, Gill Lane could be utilized greatly by commuters if sidewalks were installed. Lots of roads that branch off of Inman Avenue could also use sidewalks for students, commuters, or even joggers who want to stay in shape.
Stockton University freshman, Nicole Anzano said, “I feel safe at school. It’s comforting knowing that there is a side walk or path leading to everywhere I need to go at school. If there is not a sidewalk, there are crosswalks everywhere. Then again, if there is not a sidewalk leading to somewhere, I would probably just drive instead.”
According to PedBikeInfo.org, there have been 4,735 pedestrian deaths in 2013. In 2003 alone, there have been 70,000 injured pedestrians according to PopCenter.org. They may not seem like huge numbers compared to the entire U.S. population. However, when broken down, 4,735 pedestrian deaths are the equivalent to ninety four deaths in each of the fifty states. 70,000 injuries is the equivalent to 1,400 injuries in each of the fifty states.
