Moorestown Residents Left Wanting More After Decision On North Church Street Speed Limit

MOORESTOWN, NJ — An effort to get the speed limit reduced on a busy street in town met with partial success, but left many of the residents who spearheaded the effort wanting more.

The county has said the speed limit on North Church Street can be reduced from 40 mph to 35 mph between Farmdale Road and Flynn Avenue, Moorestown Township Manager Tom Merchel said during the council meeting at town hall on Monday night. This covers about a two-block radius on a road that consistently sees heavy truck traffic.

Earlier this month, resident Paul Conlaw submitted a petition to council that included 73 signatures from residents, business owners and churches in that 10-block radius.

While collecting signatures, Conlaw said he was told of limbs shorn and trees lost from passing tractor trailers, and of fears that the heavy trucks are wrecking infrastructure like water lines into homes.

He was also told the story of a family dog that was tragically killed in the street, and of cars that have swerved onto front lawns, as well as the porch that belongs to Fred and Kathy Sutherland. After that incident, the Sutherlands began the effort to get the speed limit reduced.

However, studies conducted by the township and the county show that 85 percent of drivers on North Church Street adhere to the posted speed limit, meaning that the limit will remain the same, outside of that one area.

“I’m tired of tractor trailers flying up and down my street,” Fred Sutherland told council following Merchel’s announcement.

Township officials said that while they don’t have the ability to lower the speed limit because North Church Street is a county road, there are things they can do to calm traffic, including painting the speed limit lines on the street and having a police car park in the area.

“If they see a police car, they won’t speed,” said Sutherland, who was even in favor of having an empty car parked in the area. “And then if they realize there’s no one in the car, maybe they will speed and they can get pulled over a couple of miles down the road.”

Conlaw asked if the 85 percent threshold was a firm standard or if it was something that they could override, given the number of people who have expressed concerns over the speed limit.

“They have to draw the line somewhere because everyone on every street wants their speed limit lowered,” Merchel said.

“It seems arbitrary, but the people who use the throughway matter too,” Councilman Mike Locatell said. “The thinking is that if 85 percent of the people are following the speed limit, that must be the correct speed limit. I don’t agree with it and I’m sure you don’t agree with it, but there’s not a lot we can do other than the calming effects we’ve discussed.”

Patch file photo