SPOTSWOOD — The Borough Council is considering the placement of a crosswalk near Spotswood High School.

The topic came up during a recent Borough Council meeting when Mayor Thomas Barlow said he was concerned about pedestrian safety in the area of the school on Summerhill Road. He said there are already crosswalks in the vicinity, but they are so far away that it is difficult to get students to walk to them before crossing the busy road. As a result, students cross wherever they see fit.

Barlow said that, if a vehicle does not yield, there is nothing police can do because there is no Title 39 enforcement unless someone is on a crosswalk. Title 39 is the state statute governing motor vehicles and drivers.

"If you have a blinking light and crosswalk, you can enforce it," Barlow said.

Council President Curtis Stollen agreed with the need for a crosswalk, and said he cannot believe how bad the traffic situation has become in the area. He later said that although development in Spotswood has basically stopped, traffic has increased due to new developments in nearby towns.

Stollen said a possible remedy would be to open up Jackson Street, if only in the morning. If the road were open in the afternoon, students leaving the high school might be tempted to speed on it.

"It is a horrendous situation," Stollen said of the area.

He said he would ask Police Chief Karl Martin to look into the possibility of opening the road.

Resident Leo Servis said opening Jackson Street would be the only way to help traffic in the area. He noted how many of the people who lived on Jackson Street and in the past were opposed to opening the road have moved.

He said the borough is small, as are its roads, but it still needs to deal with traffic from nearby Monroe. Regardless, he felt that completely controlling the traffic is impossible and said the situations on Main Street, DeVoe Avenue and Summerhill Road are a "disaster."

Barlow said students cross Summerhill Road along its entire length, but a new crosswalk would funnel them into one area where the borough would be able to force motorists to yield.