By Sunayana Prabhu
RED BANK – Residents on the West Side of the borough near Shrewsbury Avenue are fed up with many things. Most importantly, they are “tired of being ignored” by elected officials, said Freddie Boynton, a self-proclaimed “West Side advocate.”
Boynton, a longtime resident of the borough, brought together borough officials to hear directly from the community at a meeting Oct. 8 at the Celestial Lodge No. 36 F & AM Pha at 141 Drs. James Parker Blvd.
Mayor Billy Portman, borough manager Jim Gant, newly appointed Red Bank Chief of Police Michael Frazee, Sgt. Heather Kovar and council members Nancy Blackwood and Ben Forest attended the meeting. For over two hours, residents passionately described the problems they face daily and urged officials to act.
Three important issues raised during the discussion were the need for a fourway stop sign at the corner of River Street and Leighton Avenue; broken/unsafe railroad tracks on Drs. James Parker (between Willow Street and Central Avenue); and vehicles speeding through the streets.
“We’re tired of being treated like this on the West Side,” Boynton said.
“When you have four-way stop signs across town, it’s different over here. We’ve got more traffic now than the other side of town, and it’s just hitting us.”
Concerns at the heart of the residents’ complaints were related to traffic and parking.
Residents stressed the urgent need for a four-way stop sign at the intersection of River Street and Leighton Avenue, near Red Bank Primary School. They argued that speeding vehicles and a lack of traffic control in that area put children and pedestrians at serious risk.
“We have a four-way stop sign across town, but we can’t get one over here where we have a school and kids crossing the street?” Boynton said. “We’re tired of fighting for this. It shouldn’t be this hard.”
However, borough officials cautioned that fourway stops are not always the best solution, as they can sometimes create other traffic issues. Kovar said she would work with the traffic division to review the data and determine the most appropriate measures.
“We’re just trying to make informed decisions, and the informed decisions come from data and also resident concerns,” said Gant. “Anything that’s actionable, we will take action on. This was an important meeting to identify what the resident concerns are on the West Side.”
Residents also described a range of quality-of-life issues in their neighborhood from noise pollution and environmental concerns to code enforcement problems and a lack of respect for property.
“There’s really no enforcement. It’s important, because it just affects everybody’s quality of life and being safe,” resident Sue Viscomi said.
Several people complained about the prevalence of scooters and electric bikes on sidewalks, which pose a safety hazard to pedestrians.
“I can’t even get out of my driveway because of the trailers and the construction trucks,” complained resident Henry Tindal, who called himself “the watch for Locust Avenue.” He has lived in the area for over 45 years.
Tindal said he makes weekly phone calls to the police department to enforce parking and traffic, “but they don’t give tickets.” Locust Avenue now “is a speedway going up to Leighton Avenue. They turn onto Locust and kids are crossing coming from school,” he said, frustrated with the lack of enforcement as well as overcrowding.
“I make sure that wherever I live there is a quality of life because I pay the highest taxes, yes sir, on the West Side of Red Bank, and it’s getting to be like a freaking slum.”
Portman encouraged residents to call the borough with concerns and explained that the borough has been “steadily improving,” referring tothe recently amended parking ordinance. “We knew, especially on the West Side, there was so many problems with unhitched trailers and with large vehicles.”
“You can no longer have unhitched trailers and they are ticketing those,” Portman said.
In a conversation after the meeting, Frazee agreed that there were “a lot of quality-of-life issues” but he said “a lot of these problems are coming from the residents,” indicating that the police department will need to take a more active enforcement role and work closely with the borough council to explore various parking management strat- egies to address the community’s concerns.
Residents also raised concerns about overcrowded housing, with one resident describing apart- ment buildings on Locust Avenue that she said had 15-20 people living in a single unit, far exceeding capacity. She threatened to take her complaints to the state if the borough did not address the issue. “The West Side of Red Bank has just gone to hell,” she said. “You don’t see houses and apartments anywhere else in Red Bank have an issue that is overcrowded like the West Side.”
Environmental issues, such as the poor condition of the railroad tracks running through the neighborhood and the ongoing problem of roosters disturbing the peace, were also discussed. Residents argued that these problems have persisted for years with little action from the borough. “Why is it taking so long?” Boynton asked about the railroad track repairs.
The majority of residents called for more accountability and support, echoing that the West Side of Red Bank has been neglected and overlooked, with resources and attention disproportionately focused on other parts of town.
“We’re not asking much,” Boynton said. “We have problems over here, and it seems like we gotta fight to get it (resolved) on this side of town. It shouldn’t be like that.”
The article originally appeared in the October 17 – October 23, 2024 print edition of The Two River Times.
