Developers of the Vive condominium complex requested permission to install bump-out curbing at the site on a trial basis, but the city council did not approve the plan at its July 11 meeting.
A bump-out is the extension of the curb at the corners of a four-way intersection, narrowing the road and effectively eliminating the shoulder. Bump-outs shorten the time a pedestrian is exposed to traffic, and are reported to slow traffic at the intersection.
Waterfront redeveloper Asbury Partners is currently building the Vive condominium complex [construction site pictured above] at the corner of Kingsley Street and Asbury Avenue, and requested permission from the city to install bump-out curbing at the site. The resolution would have enacted a pilot program at the site, as allowing bump-outs permanently would require an amendment to the waterfront redevelopment agreement [WRA].
The governing body was split two-to-two when voting on the resolution, meaning it did not pass, but the proposal may be brought back as a pilot program with a built-in sunset provision, or end date.
Council members discussed the pros and cons of bump-outs before voting.
Bump-outs are traffic-calming, Deputy Mayor John G. Loffredo said, and they make it easier for pedestrians to cross the street.
“We need to become a pedestrian-friendly city,” Loffredo said. “More and more people are walking around.”
Both Loffredo and Councilman James Bruno would later vote in favor of the bump-outs.
“My concern is aesthetics,” Mayor Ed Johnson said. “I just like the current design of the avenues.”
Councilwoman Sue Henderson said she likes having “open streets” in town. She and Johnson voted against the bump-outs.
City redevelopment and planning official Don Sammet said this week he would still like to see bump-outs throughout the waterfront redevelopment area.
“From a planning perspective, there are a number of benefits,” he said, including shorter pedestrian crossing distances and the calming of traffic, as well as additional green space.
