Cliffwood Beach Residents: Slow Down While Driving Here!

ABERDEEN TOWNSHIP, NJ — Slow down when driving through our neighborhood! That's the message Cliffwood Beach residents want to share with drivers.

Citizens of the Cliffwood Beach section of Aberdeen recently banned together to promote a campaign to reduce speeding. More than 200 residents were given lawn signs stating "Slow Down in Our Town" to build awareness of speeding issues throughout Cliffwood Beach. The signs were paid for by the Aberdeen town council.

"There are a few areas that are bad: Cliffwood Avenue, obviously, Prospect Avenue, North and South Concourse and Greenwood Avenue," said Adrea Geniton, 41, a resident of the area and a mother of two. "We are very fortunate to live in one of those neighborhoods where kids still play outside, because there are so many nice outdoor things to do around here, especially in the summertime."

"But we also don't have a sidewalk in this part of town," she continued. "So we want to get out ahead of this problem before something does happen, God forbid."

It's 25 MPH on those streets, but Geniton said lots of drivers routinely go upwards of 50 MPH. To that effect, you will start noticing these signs in the front yards of Cliffwood Beach homes, if you haven't seen them already.

Geniton said her group first wants to raise awareness among drivers, as opposed to getting a speeding ticket.

"Cops started pulling people over and it was actually a lot of local residents who were speeding," she said. "They just didn't realize how fast they were going. So if you are coming home from work, we just want you to look down at your speedometer and be aware of your speed."

That said, Aberdeen police will be stepping up speeding patrols in Cliffwood Beach in August. They want to get the message out before kids resume walking to school come September.

"If you don't want a ticket, don't speed. It's that simple," said Geniton. "The life you save could be your neighbor's."

The signs were organized by the Cliffwood Beach Neighborhood Watch, part of the larger Aberdeen Neighborhood Watch program, which works with the Aberdeen police department. Geniton greatly thanked the town council for paying for the signs.

Cliffwood Beach Neighborhood Watch just held a meeting Wednesday night, July 31 at the Community Center located at 651 Prospect Avenue in the Cliffwood Beach. Their next meeting will probably not be until October, at 7 p.m. again at the Community Center. If you are interested in joining the Cliffwood Beach Neighborhood Watch, please come to the meeting. Or if you would like to start a watch group in another section within Aberdeen, please contact the Aberdeen police department at 732-566-2054