Toms River to Install Flashing Beacons for Safer Pedestrian Crossings

Toms River Township council members greenlit a state plan for flashing beacons at two crosswalks on Route 35 South near the barrier island. The New Jersey Department of Transportation will install Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacons where Route 35 South meets Second Avenue and where it crosses Harbor Drive.

Council members voted yes last week. Second Avenue sits in Ortley Beach. Harbor Drive is down in Ocean Beach, a few blocks south of Ocean Beach Marina.

According to Shorebeat.com, these beacons pack LED lights inside yellow boxes shaped like rectangles. When someone hits the button, the lights flash back and forth fast. Drivers see this and know a person wants to cross.

Push a button, and the lights start flashing. The beacons will work with crosswalks that are already there.

An NJDOT spokesman said workers should finish before summer arrives. The state brought the idea to township leaders, who had to say yes first.

RRFB is what they call it for short. The goal is to make crosswalks easier for drivers to spot when someone's trying to get across the street.

Route 35 South cuts through the barrier island part of town, and both spots are on this main road. Ocean Beach lies south of Ortley Beach on the same highway.

State crews will do the work. New signs will go up too. Township officials approved everything so construction can start.

The summer deadline means the lights should work before crowds show up. People crossing this busy route during warm months will have better protection.