Traffic Division Enforces the Rules of the Road

Students learned about the traffic division’s quest to deter thousands of moving and parking violations, maintain all town and county roads in Cranford, and keep traffic accidents to a minimum at Wednesday night’s Citizens’ Police Academy meeting.

Two sworn personnel and a handful of civilian personnel make up the division. The sworn personnel include a division commander and two accident investigators. The civilian personnel include a parking enforcement officer, two traffic maintenance personnel (two additional personnel in the summer), and 25 school crossing guards.

The police division is responsible for conducting traffic studies, enforcing laws, collecting parking fees, as well as maintaining roads, signs and the police fleet. They also educate the public about traffic rules and safety concerns.

In short, the long list of duties falls under three main categories: enforcement, education and engineering.

Enforcing the Rules of the Road
Enforcement officers want to get a road’s 85th percentile speed as close to the actual speed limit as possible. The 85th percentile speed is the speed that 85 percent of drivers are going on that road.

“There will always be that 15 percent that will drive above and beyond the speed limit,” said Lt. Joseph Van Bergen, head of the traffic division. “You want the 85 percent to be going within five miles plus or minus the posted speed limit.”

The division utilizes a number of different tools and techniques to get the 85 percent driving as close to the speed limit as possible.

A traffic counter consisting of two black tubes and a square box, logs speed, type of vehicle, and the volume of traffic using the road. Officers can use this device if they receive a complaint about a specific road and data for that area does not already exist.

Next comes the speed trailer, a sign that flashes a vehicle’s speed as it drives down the street. This tool is used to educate drivers of just how quickly they’re traveling and to remind them to slow down or speed up if need be.

If all else fails, the radar enforcer can then step in to correct driver actions.

The division also enforces traffic laws regarding seat belts, use of cell phones or other handheld devices while driving, stop signs and yielding to pedestrians. Grants and campaigns like Click It or Ticket, Over the Limit Under Arrest, and Hang Up Just Drive pay for the additional attention officers give to those types of selective enforcement.

There were 7,546 moving violations in Cranford in 2008, according to police statistics. Of those, the lack of seat belt use ranked at the top with 1,119 violations. Driving while on a cell phone came second to last with 261 violations, but Van Bergen doesn’t think that will last.

“The number of seat belt violations is going down,” he said. “Now the big thing is driving while on a cell phone. I think that’s soon going to be way up there, maybe at No. 1.”

Side note: There were also 9,850 parking violations in Cranford in 2008.  The division collects parking fees and tickets those who abuse the parking regulations. There are 500 parking meters and 23 pay stations in Cranford.

Educating the Public
The division also hosts a number of programs to teach Cranford residents about bicycle, pedestrian and child safety, as well as teen driving, drunk driving and more.

Some of them include:

• We Have a Little Emergency (WHALE) program encourages parents to attach a sticker to their vehicle window detailing their child’s medical issues, emergency contact info and photo for medical responders in case of an accident.
• HERO Campaign reminds people to have a designated driver when going out for the night. It was created for John R. Elliott, who was killed by a drunk driver.
• Positive Helmet Safety Reward Program allows officers to issue positive summonses to kids seen wearing helmets while skating or bicycling.
• Alive At 25 Parent Program educates parents of new teen drivers on the Graduated Drivers License and new driver risks.

For more information on police educational programs check the Cranford Police Web site at cranford.com/police.

Maintaining Roads, Signs, Fleet
The final category, engineering, serves as a catchall when enforcement and education aren’t enough.

“Engineering is our most expensive area,” said Van Bergen. “It also takes the longest.” The traffic light at North Avenue and Orchard Street, he added as an example, took about nine years to install from the first request to its implementation.

“Sometimes you’ll find a problem that you can put out notices for, try to educate the public, and you can enforce the rules, but sometimes you just can’t solve the problem without engineering,” he said.

If the division notices a cluster of accidents in one location, they take into account how often the road is used and where the traffic is coming from, among other factors. Using this information they can decide whether a new sign or signal could help prevent the accidents.

“We try not to overdo the signs,” said Van Bergen. “If a sign’s flashing 24/7, seven days a week, you’re going to get used to it. You won’t notice it after a while.”

When a sign, signal or roadway needs repair, the traffic division handles it. In-house repairs help the police department save money that would otherwise be spent on costly contractors.

“We just pay for the parts,” Van Bergen said.

That means the division is in charge of maintaining and repairing over 400 Victorian lights in the downtown, 15 traffic light intersections, six flashing light intersections, painting all town and county roads (except for the center lines), and all signs but those on a state highway.

Keeping the contractor fees down is only a part of it.

The department is part of a cooperative pricing system. With over 100 other members, the department saves money by purchasing equipment with the other towns, allowing for bigger discounts.

“Say we need six patrol cars,” said Van Bergen. “Through the co-op we’re getting a price as though we’re buying 400. There’s power in numbers.”

Academy students will learn why officers do what they do at traffic stops during the program's fifth meeting next Wednesday.