Letter: NJDOT Pilot a Failure

Dear Editor:

I live and work in Penn’s Neck and have seen firsthand the failure that is NJDOT’s pilot restricting left hand turns from Route 1 by closing the jug handles. I’ve spoken to many people who feel the same, colleagues, neighbors, friends, friends of friends, parents of my kid’s friends, and so it was interesting to speak to over 60 people who do not live or work directly in my neighborhood when I collected signatures for Smart Traffic Solutions’ petition www.change.org/petitions/njdot  at WW-P High School North’s Back to School Night.

Everyone who travels East/West on any regular basis strongly believed that the left hand restrictions had negatively impacted their lives. One woman said her 8 minute commute turned into 20 minute commute overnight. Another woman told me her husband commutes into New York City every day and the closure has resulted in an additional 30 minutes travel time to and from the Princeton Junction train station alone. The most interesting converation I had was with one woman who insisted she “had” to make U-turns on Washington Road every day in order to pick her son up in Princeton on time and would continue to do so. Furthermore, she was appalled that the police would ticket U-turners because in her opinion she had no choice. So much for NJDOT’s assertion that drivers just need time to get “educated” on the closures! They too believe the pilot to be a failure.

Almost everyone I flagged down as they searched for their child’s classroom stated that they believed the left hand restrictions have resulted in an exponential increase in traffic on side roads. They understood that the traffic was merely being pushed onto side streets and into neighborhoods not designed to handle such volume. They too believe the pilot to be a failure.

Many people were sympathetic to the safety issues being raised by residents in my neighborhood. I pointed out that safety was not our issue alone, that ambulances and fire engines were getting stuck in traffic even when cars tried to pull over. I didn’t think to point out that Harrison Street and Alexander Road tend to flood in extra heavy rain making easy passage on Washington Road even more critical. Even still, they too believe the pilot is a failure.

Some were unconcerned because it’s “just temporary, right?”  "It's just a test, right?" They assumed the NJDOT would see that the pilot was a failure. When I told them that the NJDOT thinks it's an unmitigated success (9 car accidents in 6 weeks? Pshaw!) and stated early on that they may or may not hold public hearings to share their ultimate decision, they were shocked and appalled. They too believe the pilot to be a failure.

Two people admitted they loved the left hand turn restriction because as one woman said, it “shaved” a whole 5 minutes off of her commute! I explained that Smart Traffic Solutions wants the same thing, but just not at the expense of East/West traffic flow, our property, our health and welfare, which is why we’re pushing to reopen the jug handle until more effective solutions are implemented such as an overpass at Harrison Street, an extension of Vaughn Drive to Washington Road, and a new wider bridge over the canal on Alexander.

We see that this pilot is a failure. Why doesn't the NJDOT see it?  

Camie Anico

Penns Neck