Mayor wants curbs in older centers upgraded
BY KATHY BARATTA
Staff Writer

MANALAPAN - Mayor Drew Shapiro has suggested that municipal officials may want to examine the possibility of adopting an ordinance that would require the owners of older retail sites and strip malls to construct curbing that is accessible to the handicapped.

Shapiro said he was moved to make the suggestion after observing several elderly women trying to lift a wheelchair-bound companion over the curb at a strip mall on Union Hill Road.

Speaking at the Township Committee's Sept. 13 meeting, Shapiro observed that particular strip mall was grandfathered, meaning it had been constructed before construction codes required compliance with the federal Americans with Disabilities Act.

The mayor wanted to know if officials could adopt an ordinance that would require the owners of older developed properties to construct ramps that are accessible to people with handicaps.

Township Attorney James Kinneally said that generally speaking, property owners cannot be required to bring their properties up to code just to build to code. But he noted there are exceptions and said he will look into what the township may be able to do.

"Maybe we'll have a landmark case here," Shapiro said.

In other business, the governing body heard from a resident of the Covered Bridge adult community who asked for speed bumps to be placed on Amberly Drive as a way to slow down motorists.

John Mattioli, of Amberly Drive, said the street is being used as a shortcut by motorists traveling east on Union Hill Road to reach Route 9.

After Shapiro told Mattioli his request could not be accommodated, Police Chief Stuart Brown, who was in the audience at the meeting, explained why speed bumps are not a viable solution.

First, noted Brown, "you will lose the pleasure of ever being able to sleep with your windows open." He said the noise from vehicles traveling over the speed bumps would be loud.

"They're very noisy," the chief said.

And, noted Brown, the speed bumps would be a hazard to vehicles with a low undercarriage and they would make snowplowing difficult.

The chief said installing speed bumps on Amberly Drive would "open a Pandora's Box," meaning that residents all over town with speeding motorist complaints would want them installed on their streets as well.

According to Brown, the only real deterrent to speeders is enforcement. He said he would be glad to post officers in Covered Bridge to issue tickets, but warned that people who are stopped for speeding usually wind up being a resident of the immediate area.

Mattioli, who said he serves on the Covered Bridge condominium association, said he would welcome an increase in enforcement. He said he would inform Covered Bridge residents through the association's newsletter of the impending increased police enforcement.

"I'll make sure they know that if they play, they'll pay," he said.