hackettstown pedestrain saftey signs

Roughly 30 pedestrian safety signs, similar to the one displayed by Hackettstown police Sgt. Darren Tynan in November, have been taken down by state officials after they were found not to comply with state and federal regulations.

(Express-Times File Photo | MATT SMITH)

Officials in Hackettstown are miffed that state officials abruptly took down street signs that show an M&Ms character urging pedestrian safety.

Workers from the New Jersey Department of Transportation removed the roughly 30 signs late last month with no warning, town police Sgt. Darren Tynan said today. They were installed last fall along two major town highways as part of a statewide campaign.

The removal came after months of planning as well as several meetings and conference calls in which the state voiced no objections, Tynan said.

"It's frustrating to me because we did what we're supposed to do and they come in and do not even have the courtesy to call us," he said.

Town police and elected officials unveiled the signs in November as part of the launch of "Be Street Smart NJ," a statewide pedestrian safety pilot program.

The white signs, donated by Hackettstown-based M&Ms maker Mars Inc., featured a red M&M holding a sign urging pedestrians and drivers to be "street smart." The reminders were placed on poles at traffic signals along Main Street (Route 46) and Mountain Avenue (Route 182).

Joe Dee, a state transportation department spokesman, said the primary problem was the signs' placement on poles along state-owned roads without any state review or authorization. While Dee said the department understands the frustration in Hackettstown, the signs did not conform to state and federal regulations.

"I think they had their hearts in the right place and we appreciate their efforts to promote pedestrian safety," he said. "But to post signs along a state highway requires anyone wishing to do so to work with the department on the design and location of the sign. That was not done."

Tynan said the confusion was compounded when several inquiries to the state went unanswered. It wasn't until a week after the signs were removed that the sergeant said he received an explanation.

"The town and state are supposed to work together, but obviously there was a lack of communication going on between them and us," he said.

Hackettstown Mayor Maria DiGiovanni said the town likely wouldn't even have known what had happened to the signs if a councilman hadn't seen state workers taking them down late last month.

"The whole situation has left Hackettstown kind of shaking our heads a little bit because we weren't given any advance notification that there may have been issue with the signs," she said. "I would have hoped if something didn't fit their standards they would have reached out to us before they came into town and pulled the signs off the poles."

Dee said it was all part of a learning curve associated with pilot programs.

"This is a case where it's a small pilot program and there was definitely a lesson learned to make sure there's good communication about what is permitted and where things can be permitted to be posted," he said.

Tynan said he and town officials remain hopeful the signs can return to Hackettstown street corners. Officials are working with the state to figure out a way that complies with regulations, he said.

Dee said state officials are more than willing to participate in the discussions.

"If they want to reach out to us and continue to promote pedestrian safety, we will continue to work with them," he said.