Alright friends and fellow Lakewooders, I have an actual proposal that is realistic and achievable to solve the insanity of what we all have to deal with on a daily basis in Lakewood.
The biggest bottlenecks of traffic are as a result of less than 12 intersections along route 9. These intersections are also dangerous.
Timing of lights will not fix this, neither will widening the road.
Here is my proposal, which includes information from a professional association of engineers.
Roundabouts.
Based on research from the National Cooperative Highway Research Program, the average cost to retrofit a roundabout to an existing HIGHWAY is only $250,000. So on the high side, we’re talking about a $30 million dollar project that would completely solve the madness we are dealing with today, and all but eliminate the danger of collision, and remove the need for signal lights altogether, permanently. This does estimate on the high side because it’s looking at major highways but I used this figure to account for the cost of land acquisition. This can be done with existing highway maintenance funds and a combination of State and Federal grants.
The beauty of this is well, the beauty – every roundabout has a center area that can be landscaped to enhance our living experience, serve as a much needed drainage area to keep the flooding at bay, and even absorb carbon (if you are in to that).
I have another solution which we have all discussed at one time or another, which is to fund trollies to go up and down route 9, 15 minutes apart, for all the hours BMG is in operation. This alone could remove by my estimates 20% of cars from the road and is well worth the investment. Hitchhiking could become a relic of the past (it’s illegal anyway), and it would take a load off of the school busses.
Thank you all for your consideration, and my apologies for not including a proposal to construct a trebuchet on each end of Lakewood with giant nets for flinging people across town at intervals, or my proposal to make Route 9 an autobahn.
TLS welcomes your letters by submitting them to [email protected]
DREAM ON
An actual good proposal for Lakewood is to make turning lanes by every possible intersection (especially Cedarbridge turning right to clover), and adjust every traffic light in Lakewood.
This post is actually solid and sound. There’s tons of videos on YouTube that discuss why roundabouts are used in Europe and why America could benefit greatly from it.
But if this were implemented, I believe the way to do it would be without any traffic lights. Just have yield signs for everyone.
Because people in Lakewood actually believe that to yield is the way to go? The law requires you to yield to all pedestrians, school busses with flashing lights, other common sense situations. Yet 99% of incidents in Lakewood are due to failing to yield.
I think the solution will end up being to close all traffic to cars during the day . Only buses should be permitted ( Lakewood shuttles or school buses).
Get a life get a car
The reality is, there is no solution considering the tremendous volume of cars. Roundabouts still require cars to stop and as a result traffic will be backed up behind that.
What I envision as the only way around this is to make an elevated roadway above Rt 9 for thru traffic with a handful of on / off ramps. Perhaps widening the road and having alternating 2 lanes in one direction depending on the time.
Roundabouts have been eliminated years ago in this area, due to extreme bottlenecking and high accident rates. They would make traffic worse, not better. Trolleys are in museums. Your 20% estimate is based on how much cholent you ate Leil Shishi. There would need to be established research to expect change.
As to an earlier suggestion this week to put a bridge across the lake at Sunset with no proper place for the traffic to disperse along North Lake Drive, is another example of wishful thinking, without a calculated solution.
I think that was tried in lakewood on Albert and it was a disaster. What happened there? Anyone knows why?
Albert and Oak all the schools came to Oak Street and it didn’t work also Oak did not go from route nine to New Hampshire at all times that’s a recent thing
If roundabouts work better than lights then why was the one at Albert and oak removed?
I’m currently in israel and the roundabouts here work amazing
That would work if the people in nj were not only the worst drivers in the world (other than Virginians) but also just plain stupid. Only way to fix it is ban cars in Lakewood.
If there is a bus lane on river and Ceder Bridge there will also be less traffic because all the school buses will be off the road.
Why is TLS using such an old photo? That part of route 9 doesn’t look like that anymore, it took me a min or two to realize that I was looking at a memory of my childhood, when Lakewood was so quaint and peaceful 😢
I see a late model Odyssey in the pic
Roundabouts: Route 9 had a few roundabouts ( I remember the last one on the 9 near freehold raceway ) and engineers got rid of them as they caused much too much accidents.
Trolleys: Very few in this town will use them, they will be a total loss. I’m one of the few whom walk 3.5 blocks to Shul, many live 2 blocks away and they come by car.
Very few will walk even 1 block to the trolley stop, and they ain’t waiting no 15 minutes till the trolley comes.
Maybe they’re not so lazy & impatient but I don’t think that Trolleys will be a success and help at all.
Actually I believe roundabouts would cause more accidents and it probably won’t help because it’s not the 9 that’s only full of traffic. It’s every block in lakewood and making roundabouts won’t help. It’s just making traffic elsewhere
What will pedestrians do?
Remember, if you care to drive, drive with care.
Why don’t they make more turning lanes?
If drivers would be less selfish, and let a car or a bus make a turn when
10plus vehicles are waiting for that vehicle to make a turn, then traffic would be better.
So that multiple times.
Oooh a Kaf HaKela!
It’s almost as if the people who warned about overbuilding for a community that is car reliant were Neviim (actually any Bozo could’ve seen it). With the way people drive in Lakewood roundabouts would be a disaster with more accidents & worse traffic.
These are (maybe) good ideas in theory but impossible in practice.
As the saying goes, “You can put lipstick on a pig but it’s still a pig”
As the saying goes, “Closing the barn door after the horses ran away”
We need elected officials who work for the citizens & not just for the rich developers. This is why we need strong community input & involvement.
If no one cares to listen to community input and involvement, then it’s useless. That is the case here in Lakewood.
If they do that make sure they put a camera by each roundabout so TLS can post the videos of all the accidents.
BMG should have a building south of 70. Any one living south of say prospect would have to go there to learn. Rosh yeshivas would split the time. Logistics could be worked out. 1/2 the cars going south instead of north etc ….
This is saicheldik
Make BMG campus in Jackson also!!
As someone who has just recently moved to Lakewood, I am appalled at the driving habits observed here. I experience on a daily basis near accidents. These are due to drivers who simply DO NOT know the rules of the road (or don’t care, and think that they ALWAYS have the right of way). I think if there are roundabouts, all that would happen is that there would be more accidents as the same people who do not stop at stop signs, enter intersections when they don’t have right of way, cut off drivers, and other constant driving infractions, would just always think they have the right of way and enter & exit at will. It seems to me that if 100 Lakewood drivers who would take a written or driving test, 80% would fail. It might be faster to enter an intersection when it is not your turn, but it may you take a lot longer if you need to first go to an emergency room after an accident r”l.
I am glad to see I a longtime resident of Lakewood am not the only one who is honest enough to recognize the horrible driving habits by many Lakewood drivers, the roads can only handle so much volume and the building continues so its not going to get any better soon and more than likely will get worse !
I highly recommend that BMG students be removed from the road and park in Blue Claw and have a shuttle bus to BMG which is another solution!
Hitchhiking is not ‘illegal anyway’. It’s a partial solution to the traffic issue. Instead of everyone driving another car.
NJ law prohibits hitchhiking
39:4-59
it is prohibited in NJ !
https://thelakewoodscoop.com/news/letter-hitchhiking/
You cannot put a round about in a city where people honk at you for allowing someone to turn out in front of them. You want multiple round abouts in a city where NO ONE gives anyone a chance to turn or pass. It would be funny but since people are so angry and selfish when they drive in Lakewood it is not.
Lakewood streets should be one way. Half the traffic is just getting thru. People park in both directions on every street It leaves one lane for traffic to go thru both ways. And remember Hatzala also has to get thru it is a danger zone. When there’s an emergency even Hatzala is held up
Make an overpass from Rt 9 & County Line to Rt 9 & Rt 70. Eliminate all the passing through traffic of cars & trucks traveling through town.
Build a monorail 🚝 system across route 9 with retail shops on the platform.
Outside of being overpopulated, the main problem here is exactly what a previous post stated. 80% of the drivers here would fail a driving test because they don’t follow even the most basic driving laws.
I can’t believe this letter got published. Anyway if BMG starts spreading the botei medrash out as opposed to one big campus, the car issue would be mitigated. I understand the value in it but if one bm was near raintree one near blue claws one by new Hampshire/locust and one by Westgate we’d have traffic flowing more consistently. I’ve been in Lakewood long enough, miss the good days.
connecting the end of Massachusetts Avenue to the end of sunset road… Then connecting the end of Sunset Road to Forest Avenue… Would give a thorough fare from Route 70 all the way through County Line Rd., Route nine.. just saying
Roundabouts will never work with the drivers around here when you have drivers thinking you can use turning lanes as passing lanes, when you have people making right hand turns from the left lane, etc.
In Boston a roundabout is known as a ‘rotary’
This is the most intelligent comment in the whole thread 😀
Since nobody, here is quoting the actual date, I will do it. Roundabouts are a viable means of temporary, moderate traffic to maintain an even flow and safe speed.
They are virtually useless for heavy traffic scenarios.
Basic driver courtesy my dear Watson
Will solve a major chunk of this issue and costs nothing, only usage of common sense and basic midos
avi when are you lowering tuition
Without a doubt, the answer is to spread the Botei Midrashim across the spectrum. Woodlake Bais Medrash is a good prototype
[And yes, even better, open branches in Torahdike cities across USA at long last. Bring the high level of Torah back home and bring the children back home (or in an affordable suburb of each city).
Rabbosai, this can be a very effective forum – probably the most important in a while, if askanim would take long awaited action based on all the feedback here or their own idea. Imagine the merits of how many more hours of limud haTorah, not spent in traffic [and all who will be spared from better driving conditions]. Bmakom she’ain ish hishtadel lihyos ish.
Roundabouts would absolutely assist with traffic. We need to put them everywhere.
However, it’s just one piece of the puzzle when it comes to moving people. Cars are just one way of getting from point A ro point B, and while public transportation would be a much-needed balm to the dire situation, we need to think about why people are on the road in the first place.
We need more mixed-use development, more affordable homes (not just single family), more public spaces, better street lighting, smaller intersections, more trees, small parks scattered around the map (rather than one giant one where nobody can go on a lunch break). If you look at cities worldwide that have beaten traffic, you will notice a pattern: the streets are designed for people, not cars. It should be convenient, safe, useful, and comfortable to walk the streets of Lakewood. Sadly, in most places, it is not, which means most people will not choose to do so. Often those who you see walking are on foot because they have no alternative. I believe the same goes for people in cars: there isn’t a better way to get around.
Maybe it’s time we give them other options.
the traffic isn’t a surprise to anyone, the vaad were warned by hundreds of yungerleit, when a large campaign aprox 12 years ago started by a few investors to import a few thousand chassidisha families from out of state, all the complaints fell on deaf ears, there’s the vaad for you
Drain the lake and make more roads by route 9 is the only answer, force the GC college to make through roads with eminent domain.
A complete halt of construction in congested areas, schools must be forced to buss, no pick up.
connecting the end of Massachusetts Avenue to the end of sunset road… Then connecting the end of Sunset Road to Forest Avenue… Would give a thorough fare from Route 70 all the way through County Line Rd., Route nine..
Two Words: MAJOR DISASTER !
Pretty smart. In Israel its all rounabouts and it works amazing. Deff crazier drivers there then lakewood and they work perfectly. Never saw an accident at any roundabout and I live here for over 3 years! Great idea!
Trolley to yeshiva sounds like a good idea but it would only work for a year. Once a couple has a baby to drop off at the babysitter the trolley/ bus is no longer useful when a kollel guy has to drop off his baby at the sitter then his two year old at playgroup and his three year old at a different playgroup he really needs a car.
Maybe a solution (that every Jew will reject) is for every family to send their kids to the school that is closest to their home. Many more kids will be able to walk to school so less buses and carpooling and less criss crossing town to get your kids.
I looked up roundabout, it says “drivers must yield to vehicles already in the roundabout before entering”. Well, ain’t nobody in Lakewood yielding to nobody, so it’s not happening.
Make the 9 a one way into town from 9:15 to 9:45
problem solved!
Boom
Make a street alongside the tracks
You’re not going to ever fix the congestion in Lakewood. You need to adapt to the way of life and get adjusted to the situation. If someone has this idea 20 years ago it may have been helpful.
We need traffic laws to be enforced! We need the police to pull people over and issue tickets! We need the mayor to and the town to rally around the police and help with enforcement of the laws!!!2