New Jersey AG Says 'Locals-Only' Road Bans Must End

Can New Jersey towns such as Leonia and Weehawken legally ban drivers from taking cut-throughs on local roads on their way to New York City? Nope, says New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir Grewal.

Earlier this week, Grewal told state assembly committee members that he advised officials in the two towns to cease enforcing their recently enacted, locals-only traffic bans. However, Grewal also acknowledged that the issue may be creating problems for the towns' police departments and may be a “byproduct of Google Maps and Waze."

Traffic bans like those in Leonia and Weehawken would need to be implemented in conjunction with the state Department of Transportation, the attorney general said.

“There’s attorney general’s guidance on this from 1955, I think, that says you can’t do that to local towns,” Grewal said.

Leonia Mayor Judah Zeigler said that there is currently no intention to repeal the ordinance, NorthJersey.com reported.

The Leonia ban closed 60 side streets to non-residents at risk of a $200 fine. Leonia officials said that navigation apps such as Google Maps and Waze will often bring drivers through town in an effort to avoid traffic, especially on the way to the George Washington Bridge. The locals-only roads should show up on the apps highlighted in red, authorities said.

"People who are normally using a GPS like Waze will not see these streets as a viable cut through to the bridge because they're out of play," Leonia Police Chief Tom Rowe said, explaining the motivation behind the ban.

In a letter to Leonia officials, Grewal stated that the town’s ban is “legally invalid” and that officials should immediately stop enforcing it.

In nearby Hudson County, Weehawken enacted a similar ban in February, restricting the use of an oft-used right turn at Hackensack Plank Road and Pleasant Avenue to local residents only. It was a move designed to stop out-of-town drivers from using the road – which leads to I-495 – as a cut-through to the Lincoln Tunnel, town officials said.

"We were noticing traffic where we never had it before because of Waze," Weehawken Mayor Richard Turner told CBS New York. “In certain locations where the commuter traffic completely shuts down the neighborhood, the police have been complaining that emergency vehicles haven't been able to get through.”

However, some Garden State experts and pundits have argued that locals in towns such as Leonia should keep the overall good of New Jersey in mind and avoid adopting a "not in my backyard" mentality.

Assemblyman John Wisniewski, D-Middlesex, who serves as the Transportation Committee chairman in the Assembly, told New Jersey 101.5 that while he sympathizes with Leonia residents, traffic is a "fact of life" that can exist anywhere in New Jersey.

Wisniewski said that Leonia's ban is "a solution that creates more problems" and that if other towns followed the its lead, it could make traffic worse for everyone.

The bans on out-of-town traffic may also face legal challenges from commuters such as Jaqueline Rosa, an attorney that is suing Leonia over its locals-only rule.

"I think the court, like myself, is going to be concerned about the effect that this is going to have statewide," Rosa told News 12 New Jersey.

• See related article: Here's How GPS Technology Is Jamming Your Hometown Streets

IS WAZE A HELP OR A HINDERANCE?

How have other municipalities and counties in the U.S. handled the rise of navigations apps?

Some have embraced the technology. In 2016, the Hillsborough County Public Works began sending emergency shelter and road-closure reports to Waze. While this information is meant to help Hillsborough County motorists, the Public Works department reported Waze has helped provide feedback from drives that helps experts locate and repair trouble spots.

• See related article: Hillsborough Finds 'Waze' To Deal With Traffic

Also that summer, the Georgia Department of Transportation announced it entered into a data-sharing partnership with Waze.

"Georgia motorists will now have real-time traffic information not only on our interstates and state routes, but also on arterial routes - information that is coming directly from the traveling public," Georgia DOT Commissioner Russell McMurry said.

• See related article: Waze, GDOT Team Up For Real-Time Traffic Program

However, other government officials such as Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck have charged that the app jeopardizes the lives of police officers.

In a Dec. 30 letter to Google, which acquired Waze in 2013, Beck wrote that by indicating the locations of police, the app compromises the safety and security of officers, according to a copy of the letter obtained by the Los Angeles Times.

• See related article: Crowdsourcing Traffic App A Threat to Cops, Police Chief Says

The app was also allegedly been at the helm of a traffic headache in Mansfield, Massachusetts last spring, when residents expressed frustration with concert goers who attempted to use apps like Waze to find a quicker way to the Xfinity Center, but ended up creating traffic jams on local roads.

• See related article: Residents Upset Over Back Road Traffic From Xfinity Center Show

What's worse, the data may be susceptible to trolls, some say. According to a New York Times report:

"Since Waze uses crowd sourcing to update its information, some people — frustrated at the influx of outside traffic — have taken to fabricating reports of traffic accidents in their communities to try to deter the app from sending motorists their way."

Learn more about posting announcements or events to your local Patch site here. Send local news tips and correction requests to eric.kiefer@patch.com

Photo: Shutterstock