Engineer defends traffic study methods Resident: Counts don't reflect actual game attendance BY SUE MORGAN Staff Writer WEST LONG BRANCH - By popular demand, Monmouth University's traffic expert returned last week to answer more questions about the impact the school's proposed indoor arena could have on nearby neighborhoods. David Shropshire, the university's traffic engineer, returned Thursday night before the West Long Branch Board of Adjustment to address Coolidge Avenue resident John Berrian, who presented traffic and parking projections conflicting with those presented by the school's expert this past summer. In his third appearance since hearings on the application began in May, Shropshire attempted to diffuse trepidation voiced by Berrian and other borough residents that traffic to and from the 4,842-seat arena will tie up local roadways and trap neighbors inside their homes. In questioning Shropshire, Berrian, a retired mechanical engineer, disputed the findings of traffic studies conducted by Shropshire in February 2005 during Saturday afternoon men's basketball games at Boylan Gymnasium, which holds a capacity of about 2,200 spectators. Those studies, which Shropshire said he based upon an estimate of three persons per vehicle, included students living on campus in the counts, Berrian said. Because the resident students attending those games would more than likely have arrived on foot rather than in a vehicle, they should not have been counted in the study, he pointed out. "You included the students living on campus in the cars," Berrian told Shropshire. "You're putting people in the cars who aren't in the cars." Counting the number of spectators who walked, who drove, or who carpooled to the game would result in a more accurate number in assessing parking demand, Berrian said. Such a method would be impractical to carry out, said Shropshire, who cited the three-persons-per-vehicle count as the industry standard. Berrian pressed on. "There actually aren't three people per car," Berrian said. "In fact, there are less. It seems to me that we're going to end up with a tremendous amount of cars in the neighborhood." In order to prevent such gridlock and to ensure that arena patrons do not park on nearby residential streets while on campus, events with a high potential for selling out will not be scheduled concurrently with other school events, including classes, Shropshire also told the board. As a result, those "maximum-capacity events" would not be scheduled anytime between Monday morning and Thursday nights because classes are held on those days, Shropshire explained. The existing configuration of parking lots and individual spaces on campus would not accommodate a sell-out crowd, commuter students coming to classes, and any other visitors to campus - something university officials have considered, he went on. As a result, capacity events would be scheduled for weekends and off-peak periods, he concluded. "There will be very few available dates for maximum-capacity events," Shropshire said. In response to a question by Klein, Shropshire indicated that by using three designated exit routes from the campus, the school's parking lots would be emptied within "about 15 to 20 minutes" after an arena event was over. Borough residents, however, were more interested in how soon a capacity crowd of spectators would be out of West Long Branch and onto major roadways such as Route 36. When a few residents pressed him for an answer to that question, Shropshire admitted he had not studied that issue. Responding to those residents, Board Secretary Irvin Miller referred to prior testimony given by Shropshire that the West Long Branch Police Department, at the university's expense, would disperse traffic as it exits the campus and travels through town to major highways. The three planned exit points from the campus are Larchwood Avenue northbound, Cedar Avenue westbound, and Norwood Avenue southbound, according to university officials. When arena events end, borough police would be stationed at major intersections between the campus and the highway, said board Chairman Rocco Christopher, also recalling previous testimony. "The police testimony was that they can get the traffic out of town in 20 minutes," said Christopher, who, like Miller, is a university alumnus. As far as exhaust emanating from vehicles idling in queue as they wait on area roadways, the three exits from the campus are designed to help minimize that impact and comply with the state's Department of Environmental Protection (DEEP) limits, Shropshire said. The DEP requires that vehicles idle for no more than 15 minutes at a time, Shropshire said previously. "We're not going to exceed the threshold that the DOT has set for carbon monoxide emissions," Shropshire said. The floor will be open to the public when the application is continued at the next board meeting set for Nov. 16 at 7:30 p.m. in borough hall, 965 Broadway. University officials have stated that the arena is needed to house large-scale events such as graduations, convocations and open houses. The arena would also provide a venue for games by the popular men's basketball team, which now uses the 40-plus-year-old Boylan facility for its games. University officials have stated that even if the arena is built, they would still use the older gym for intramural events, team practices, and other events.