New Initiative Asks Motorists to "Slow Down/Mas Despacio"

The Livingston Avenue corridor between Suydam and Sandford Streets will be the targeted area of a new traffic safety campaign in New Brunswick over the next two weeks.

"Slow Down/Mas Despacio" is a new, bilingual campaign that aims to improve traffic on Livingston Avenue through a series of signs displayed along the roadway requesting that drivers lower their speed.

The campaign is part of the Caminos Seguros (Safe Pathways) program run by the Puerto Rican Action Board (PRAB), in cooperation with the Middlesex County Comprehensive Traffic Safety Program, the New Brunswick Police Department, and the Anshe Emeth Community Development Corporation (AECDC).

The goals of the program are to raise awareness of traffic safety in the community, and to increase overall traffic safety in the city for residents and visitors, according to PRAB.

During the two week period in which the signs will be displayed, the New Brunswick Police Department's Traffic Safety Bureau will conduct two separate sessions of random radar screenings of 100 motorists in the targeted area to see if any measureable change in traffic trends and patterns can be noticed.

The radar surveys are scheduled for the third week of September and the first week of October. The first survey was conducted the week of Aug. 27, before the signs were installed, according to Sgt. Raymond Trigg. 

Observational surveys will also be conducted, asking residents about the safety of Livingston Avenue for pedestrians and motorists.

On Wednesday afternoon, while traffic whizzed by, program organizers held a press conference on the steps of Anshe Emeth Memorial Temple to discuss the intention of the project and thank the agencies involved.

Middlesex County Freeholder H. James Polos, chair of the Middlesex County Public Safety and Health Committee, said similar programs have been piloted in 11 other municipalities in Middlesex County over the past five years, but New Brunswick is the first to present bilingually.

The signs are being displayed predominantly on the lawns of businesses along Livingston Avenue, said Cuqui Rivera, coordinator of the Caminos Seguros program.

Mayor James Cahill said the program fits in with the city's , which was passed by the city council in May. The policy declares support for road conditions that are hospitable for cyclists, pedestrians and motorists.

In connection with the Caminos Seguros program, the city will observe National Seat Check Saturday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sept. 22 at Brunswick Town Center, located at the corner of Jersey Avenue and Handy Street.

Residents with child seats in their cars may come to the site to have the seats examined by certified child seat inspectors to ensure that the seats are safely installed.

Child Seat Saturday is sponsored by Safe Kids Middlesex County, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, PRAB and the New Brunswick Police Department.

Additionally, the NJ Department of Children and Families will inspect child car seats from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sept. 28 at the DCF Training Academy, 30 Van Dyke Ave.

To schedule an appointment for the Sept. 28 inspections, call Colleen Ucal at (732) 448-6322.