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Pagf 30

The Herald and The Lantern

Wedneaday, Peccmher 3,1>80'~

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The Other Side of the Bridge

While the state is finally moving on improving the deadly intersection mess on the north side of the Rt. 109 Canal bridge, what about the south side? This is what the Schellenger Landing area of Lower Township looks like on a rainy summer day, with thousands of motori ng tourists flocking into Cape May to shop. Taken thru a fogged-up windshield, the photo nevertheless shows the traffic congestion that occurs with vehicles trying to make left turns onto the highway from the fishing boat and restaurant areas. It would seem that with the state acting to improve the other side of the bridge at long last, township and city officials should sit down with the state to straighten out the potential hazardous traffic conditions over the bridge and down the road.

Bids in To

Fix Deadly

Intersection

COLD SPRING - The N.J Dept, of 'Transportation has received bids for the Rt KKMIcean Dr intersection modcr nization. but it still won’t be before next spring that the long-awaited improvement of the dangerous canal bridge approach is completed The intersection scene of several fatalities is considered by police tin* most dangerous in all of l>ower Township Hardly a day goes by without at least a minor mishap In fact, there was a "fender bender at tin 1 intersection last Thursday, the day DOT was receiving bids I’KRNA KXCAVATING INC. of Vineland was the lowest bidder at $271,469 The highest of the four acceptable bids <one other was rejected for failure to meet bid specifications! was $415,269. A representative of DOT'S Bureau of Special (engineering indicated it will be about a month fiefore the bid is awarded It will then lie up to the contractor to decide when to lH*gm the project to meet the May I9tl completion deadline At < oRDING TO DOT, the successful contractor could begin this winter since cold weather wouldn't preclude work on some aspects of the overall project (such as installation of guardrails). Hut there is no mandatory start-up date. The project basically will provide a signalized T intersection of Ocean Dr and Rt 109 with left-turn slots and lanes in addition to right turn lanes Advance warning lights on the far side of the bridge may also Ik* included

"As you know, that intersection right now is really a very confusing intersection — channelizing islands and inadequate storage capacity for turning vehicles," noted Jim Weidman, DOT’S supervising engineer for the project on Friday. "Many decision points for drivers in making those

turning slots large enough to provide for vehicles waiting to turn onto the bridge approach from Ocean Dr. or onto Ocean Dr. from southbound Rt. 109. “The left-turn slot was designed to accommodate peaking and the number of vehicles that would be expected to queue

at the signal,” Weidman explained when asked about potential traffic Wk-ups due to the lights. "That should be taken care of; there shouldn’t be any encroachment of the thru lanes,” he explained, adding a disclaimer: ••OF COURSE. WHEN YOU design something, you design In an optimum sense, not an absolute sense. There may be occasions where traffic will back up beyond the capacity of the signal.” The engineer explained how a seasonal factor was plugged into the design criterion. "All of our projects — and certainly this one — are designed for the 30th highest hour of the year. It’s called the 30th design hour ... It’s a design criterion developed by the American Assn, of State Highway Officials ... It’s considered the most effective design hour. I think 85 to 95 per cent of all vehicles can be accommodated with that particular design over the course of , ayear without any unusual queues." ONCE THE ENGINEERS estimated what the traffle will be for the 30th design hour, it’s seasonally adjusted because of the heavier peak loads during the summer months, Weidman explained. "So, that’s the criterion that we use to develop our storage capacity, number of laries, etc.,” the engineer pointed out. For years, township authorities and others in area government have called for improvement of the deadly intersection where several motorists over the years have died and scores haVe been injured, many seriously. During the past 22 months, for example, some 20 persons have been injured in motor vehicle accidents in the confusion of Stop, Yield, and Merge signs; channeling islands, and cross-overs near the end of the Garden State Pkwy and the main entrance to Cape May.

Birth Defects Question—Testing the System

Birth defects. The term itself conjures ut> unpleasnnt feelings; something abnormal. To the parents of babies born with defects, the natural question, besides why me. is how could this happert? And now that health authorities have concluded that 15 major anfl 20 minor birth abnormalities in the lower county area since 1975 go beyond chance — the question becomes more acute, the solution urgent Months ago County Freeholder Gerald Thornton called for a study of the area water supply, noting that preliminary investigations had shown a higher than normal level of nitrates. We can recall a member of the County Planning Board staff warning months

before that high nitrate levels can lead to birth defects and that one way to guarantee high levels is to foster massive development so that underground water supplies and septic systems intermingle: We wonder about the water supply. Why are the nitrate levels high? Is it due to leakage of wastes into aquifers? What is the source of this contamination? If it’s overfertilized farmer’s fields, the irony is the opposite of development may be at fault. If it is overdevelopment in non-sewered areas, we ask why such building has been allowed? If It is leaking landfills, ditto. If. If. If. Wouldn’t it be nice if we could dial a num-

ber, for instance, First Call For Help and receive a definitive reply? Even as laymen we Know there are no quick answers to difficult questions. But as citizens of a relatively rural county with responsible leaders, we expect the inter governmental bureaucracy to function in times of stress. This is a very serious problem for the entire Jersey Cape, not just a relative handful of parents. It demands concerned response. It requires expeditious cooperation. The system is being tested, as are the ? |ualities of the social fabric and the human iber. It is, indeed, a litmus test determining to a large part the success or failure of our institutions of government and science.

The People & the Gov’s Veto

By Jamni R. Ilurlry TRENTON The Slate Senate finally jacked up |ta jouraRe and voted unanimously for an item that brings me great pleasure and will bring the people of this state a great deal more representation in the law-making process The legislation that passed was a concurrent resolution, already passed many weeks ago by the Assembly, to place on the ballot in November, 1981 a question that you, the voter, will answer. To paraphrase, the question is: Shall the legislature always have the right to override the governor’s veto of »ny bill? In case you don’t already know my answer to that question, it is YES GOVERNOR BYRNE HAS BEEN the worst abuser in

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John M. Andru* II

Cdllor

Advorlttlng

Director Publlthor

low* or Advertising Information

MADtlNtS " Thursday Trldoy • 9 ».m.

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history pf a certain vagueness in the state constitution that allows a Senate or Assembly controlled by the governor's party to hold passed legislation until the governor calls for it. This practice, known as “gubernatorial courtesy," allows the governor to ignore passed legislation for an entire legislative term. At the end of that two-year term, the governor then has the option of either signing the bill or again ingnoring it and thereby killing it. This is called a "pocket veto." Never - unless the presiding officer of the house in which the bill originated insists - does the governor have to explain his position on a bill. EVERY GOVERNOR HAS USED this quirk of the constitution to some extent, but Governor Byrne has abused it to such excesses that even his own party has grown tired of seeing legislation die of neglect. I would much rather see a good bill bludgeoned to death by the governor than starved into oblivion. Eighty-six bills suffocated in this manner under the broad hand of the governor at the end of the 1978-79 legislative term. During the 1976-77 term, a bill restoring the death penalty for murder passed both thd Assembly and the Senate and was then sat on by the Governor, who finally pocket vetoed it in early 1978. ANOTHER DEATH PENALTY BILL just passed the Senate - the same day this pocket veto amendment was approved - and it is up to you, collectively, to determine whether the governor should be required to take a clear stand on such major legislation or whether he should be allowed to ignore pressing issues. But more important — far more important — than whether the governor should have to stand in the open, is the question of whether the people's representatives should have the final say on the laws of this state, or whether one man should ha ve that power. THE LEGISLATURE OF THE State of New Jersey is made up of 80 Assembly members and 40 Senators: UO

people from the 40 districts of the state, each elected to serve that district, each dedicated to knowing what his or her constituents' major needs and desires are. It is this body of men and women, who represent a 11.of the people of New Jersey, who should have the last word in legislation. It is you, in other words, who should be running your own government, and this referendum to come will give you a slightly firmer grip on the controls.

-James Hurley of Millville ia Assembly Minority Leader.