Drivers must slow down on Norris Avenue
Ihave lived with my wife and family at 101 Norris Ave. for 47 years. This is located in the center of the curve on Norris Avenue.

When we first moved here, we had young children at home. We had to stop traffic to cross them to play on Kent Place so that they would not be hit. When my wife was still working as a teacher, I had to step into the street and stop traffic so that she could get out into the street.

In my time here, I have had cars knock down the 25 mph sign in front of my house, run into the tree in front of the house, end up on the top of my front lawn hill, and run across my side lawn and across my neighbor's lawn and hit his car in the driveway. I've had cars collide going the same way as well as opposite ways in front of my house. My friend across the street used to laugh at things until a car spun out late at night and took out the cherry tree in his side year.

Since my friend is on the outside of the curve, he sometimes has difficulty in backing out of his driveway without risking his life. He's never been hit, but there have been close calls.

People driving along this street don't realize that the curve exists. They put the pedal to the medal and then are surprised that the street turns. They put on their brakes and swerve, and chaos is the result.

I've also pulled out of my driveway and started down the street at 25 mph only to have some nerd roar up behind me and beep at me to go faster. When they pass me, I copy license numbers and drop them off at the police desk.

Twenty-five mph signs are nice, but they don't solve the problem. They are just a Band- Aid on something that needs a bandage and a splint. And I feel that my opinion is superior to that of traffic experts who show up with college kids for a few hours or who sit in a patrol car for a period of time. The solutions are:

Place speed bumps on either end of the curve. Edison has done it on a busy street on the hill between Route 1 and Woodbridge Avenue, and it is effective. I know, because I've forgotten they were there and had my teeth rattled. I didn't forget again, and you need signs indicating "dangerous curve" at the beginning of the curve. This will slow people down.

If the people who use Norris Avenue as a short cut between Grove Avenue and Main Street object — tough! Go some other way.
Charles A. Barker
Metuchen