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City council members approved curb bump-outs on a trial basis at the Oct. 3 council meeting after their third vote on the proposal.

A bump-out is an extension of the curb at the corners of a city block that effectively eliminates the shoulder at the intersection. Bump-outs are said to slow vehicular traffic and aid pedestrians in crossing the street because they increase the width of the sidewalk at intersections.

The bump-outs are planned for two intersections at the Vive condominum site on a trial basis at the corners of Kingsley Street and Asbury Avenue and First and Asbury avenues on a trial basis now that the resolution has been approved.

Deputy Mayor John G. Loffredo had requested the council vote on allowing the bump-outs at meetings in July and August. The vote was tied two-to-two both times, meaning the resolution did not pass.

“Every time I listen to the radio, I hear towns talk about what they are going to do for traffic calming,” Loffredo said at the Oct. 3 meeting. “And when it comes to us, we don’t want to do it.”

The bump-outs “don’t destroy anything that’s the character of Asbury Park or destroy sight lines,” he said. “They make it easier for pedestrians. I haven’t heard anything that convinced me we shouldn’t do this so I’d like the council to re-visit it.”

The bump-outs will not affect loading zones or bus stops, Loffredo said, although they may eliminate several parking spaces at each intersection.

Bump-outs were included in the city’s original waterfront redevelopment plan but they were taken out, city attorney Fred Raffetto said, possibly due to the potential for maintenance, lawn-cutting and snow removal issues.

City engineer and head of the department of public works [DPW] Joe Cunha has mixed feelings on the plan.

“If I put my engineering hat on, the ITS [Intelligent Transportation Society] and DOT [Department of Transportation] promote this type of development,” Cunha said. “If I put my DPW hat on, it’s always going to be easier not to put them in.”

During public comment, city resident Werner Baumgartner said he agreed that traffic calming was “the new buzzword in traffic engineering, but it’s not appropriate in Asbury Park.”

“This is a historic city that dates back to the earliest days of city planning,” he said. “The planning has been acknowledged in city documents as something worth preserving. The sight lines have nothing to do with it but the look and feel and character of the beach front is what’s going to be significantly impacted.”

Also, traffic is already calmed in Asbury Park because of the volume of traffic, he said.

“Don’t go with the buzz words of what’s good for new suburban communities,” he said. “This is Asbury Park, a traditional and historic town. They’re not encouraged in historic districts.”

City resident John Moor also said there wasn’t a need for traffic calming in that part of town.

“I’d be willing to bet right now if you looked up how many pedestrians have been hit in the last three years there, it would be zero,” Moor said.

He also took issue with the way the resolution was written, saying it could enable the installation of bump-outs throughout the waterfront without further discussion.

“This is a test and it isn’t just automatically going to continue,” Loffredo said before the vote.

Councilman James Bruno left before the vote was taken. Councilman Kevin Sanders voted to approve the bump-outs along with Loffredo and Mayor Ed Johnson, while Councilwoman Sue Henderson voted no.

At the July 11 and Aug. 1 council meetings, Councilman James Bruno and Councilwoman Sue Henderson voted no while Mayor Ed Johnson and Deputy Mayor John G. Loffredo voted yes. Councilman Kevin Sanders was absent from the July meeting and abstained from voting in August.

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