Who made their own crosswalk on Union Township road?

UNION TOWNSHIP (Union) — The makeshift crosswalk that showed up on a busy township street this week is the second time someone has painted their own.

The homemade crosswalk was discovered Thursday morning at the intersection of Vauxhall Road and Brookside Drive, according to Union Township Police Sgt. Robert Donnelly.

It was covering a faded, crudely painted crosswalk that a mother in the neighborhood had noticed and wanted to use.

"I told her it's not an authorized crosswalk that someone probably put in themselves and it's not safe to use," Donnelly said. "And all of a sudden the next day the painted crosswalk appeared."

There is a curve in the road with a grade making it unsafe to cross, according to Donnelly.

Vauxhall Road acts as a shortcut between Route 22 and Route 82.

Donnelly said there are two intersections for pedestrians to cross: Vauxhall Road at Salem Road where there is a traffic light, and Vauxhall Road at Biscayne Boulevard, which is over a mile from the makeshift crossing.

A crossing guard was added at Salem Road for this school year on a trial basis on the theory that kids were crossing at the unauthorized crossing.

"We're keeping a count to see how many kids actually use it so we can maintain it if kids actually use it," Donnelly said.

Donnelly said the individual responsible for painting the crosswalk will be charged with criminal mischief and face a fine of between $500 and $2,000 and community service.

Contact reporter Dan Alexander at Dan.Alexander@townsquaremedia.com or via Twitter @DanAlexanderNJ

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