Editor’s Note: The New Jersey Department of Transportation announced the cancellation of the jughandle experiment on Saturday, October 13. Some of these letters were received before the announcement was made, but the points they make are still valid contributions to the ongoing debate on easing the flow of Route 1 traffic.
I took a walk in my neighborhood of Penns Neck on a warm autumnal Saturday from Manor Avenue to Route 1 along Washington Road (0.8 miles), along with meanders one block down each on Fairview and Wilder avenues.
Here is what I found: 49 orange and white barrels, 10 “No U-Turn” signs; 7 “Local Traffic Only” signs; 1 “No U-turns” spray painted on Wilder Avenue; 8 traffic cones in driveways; 2 official NJDOT traffic cones; 2 sawhorse barricades at driveways; 6 homemade signs saying “no U-Turns,” “no driveway turns” and the like; 7 six-foot high plastic barricades, 1 “Road Closed” sign, 2 right arrow signs; 1 changeable information sign, 1 big orange directional sign, 9 signs to join in on the local petition, 1 crushed barrel on the side of the road, 1 “No U-turn” sign on a mailbox, and, lastly, a piece of old plywood against a metal garbage can blocking a driveway. Quantity: 110 items.
My guess is that there is no other neighborhood right now cluttered with such road and highway items like Penns Neck.
These new traffic patterns: Is this really the best way to have better and smoother travel on Route 1? Is this the best we can do?
This bandage that NJDOT has applied to the wound has been on long enough. Even bandages need to changed in order to promote proper healing. We need a real traffic solution, not a bandage. The bandage needs to be changed now.
Curtis Hoberman
Washington Road, Penns Neck
An architect who likes to count and measure things, Hoberman is a 34-year resident of Penns Neck, a member of the Zoning Board of Adjustment, and a former member of the Site Plan Review Advisory Board.
I remember, many years back, attending municipal meetings when the widening of Clarksville Road to four lanes was under consideration. Those commuting wanted a big, wide, and fast road that could handle lots of traffic. Those who lived in the area wanted to be able to walk or bike from their front door in safety and peace, enjoying their friends, neighbors, and all the beauty of the natural environment.
It seems to me this constant improvement of the roads for the benefit of cars and trucks is a false path: soot, smoke, noise, Mideast oil wars. The end game is having the whole state look like Route 1 or the New Jersey Turnpike. Why is that so great?
I see only one reason why we cannot develop our own town to be as attractive to people on foot, bicycles, wheelchairs, and strollers as a vacation destination: an environment attractive to children, pets, the elderly, a mother pushing her baby, or a group of kids pedaling off to the game fields. That reason is multiple lanes of high speed pavement carrying huge numbers of cars. May we continue to reclaim our public spaces for the people.
Henry Murphy
Hereford Drive, West Windsor
First, do no harm. A tenet of medical ethics we would do well to consider in all facets of life. For six weeks, the New Jersey Department of Transportation has been conducting a traffic experiment, closing the jughandles at Route 571 and Harrison Street to speed traffic along the Route 1 corridor. The pilot was initiated without considering the collateral damage that could result.
In NJDOT’s desire to promote traffic flow between Harrison Street and Alexander Road, cars have taken precedence over the property rights and well-being of local citizens. Residents of Penns Neck want a peaceful neighborhood where children can play and adults can walk or jog without fear of being hit by frustrated and impatient drivers trying to find a quick way to get back onto Route 571. The increasing number of posted signs has not succeeded in reducing the number of cars making K- and U- turns in our neighborhood or the number of accidents that have occurred since the pilot’s inception.
Local police have been a helpful presence and we appreciate what they have done to ensure the safety of our residents. If the NJDOT makes these changes permanent after the 90-day trial period is over and police presence on Route 1 ends, how many egregious actions will occur daily?
The violation of our once-peaceful neighborhood can be resolved by moving forward with the Harrison Street overpass, Vaughn Road Connector, and the widening of the Alexander Road bridge at the canal. I urge NJDOT to put people first and find an alternative solution.
Lori Pantaleo
Varsity Avenue, Penns Neck
I would like to know what the NJDOT considers “something severe enough to stop this pilot program” if nine-plus accidents in Penns Neck since the pilot program started are not enough? Is a negligible increase in traffic flow worth a child’s life when there are more viable, cost effective solutions available to us? Travel times have more than doubled on most roads and the southbound U-Turn the NJDOT asks drivers to make on the Alexander Road Bridge is flat out illegal.
There are solutions that will eliminate traffic lights on Route 1 as opposed to shifting the problem to residential neighborhoods, east-west commuters and visitors. These solutions include:
1. Harrison Street overpass, 2. Vaughn Road Connector and 3. Widening Alexander Road Bridge over the canal.
These solutions are already in line with the preferred alternative the NJDOT and others developed! Further, Joe Dee from the NJDOT never mentions the fact there WAS funding for these projects in place less than 10 years ago but since the project was delayed so long the funding had to be returned. That funding has since been redistributed to other towns in New Jersey. It will cost the state approximately $1 million to close the jug handles. $1 million to place a few barriers, signs, counters, and make it more pleasing to the eye if deemed permanent. Am I the only one that thinks that’s outrageous? In my estimation that’s $20,000 per orange barrier.
Together we can substantially improve traffic flow for everyone and remove the traffic lights on Route 1, not shift the problem.
Eric Payne
Washington Road
As a 35-year resident of the Penns Neck section of West Windsor, I have personally witnessed the growth of our township, and along with it the steadily increasing traffic congestion. This is to be expected as part of economic growth of the community. But the situation that has resulted from the recent closure of the Route 1 jug-handles is intolerable for Penns Neck residents, notwithstanding for drivers stalled in the ever increasing stream of traffic in both directions on Washington Road.
What to do? The above concerns can be addressed by immediately reopening the jug-handles. But of equal or greater importance is the commitment to a three-part long-term solution, involving: 1. a Harrison Street overpass 2.a Vaughn Road connector and 3. widening of Alexander Road bridge at the canal. Our community organization, Smart Traffic Solutions, has been stressing the necessity of pursuing the foregoing, with strong support from our elected officials.
It is imperative that the DOT focus on the longer term solution.
Albert H. Swanke Jr.
Varsity Avenue, West Windsor
