Last week, TLS reported about the change coming to the intersection of West County Line Road and Laurelwood Avenue in Lakewood.
“Given the amount of accidents at the intersection, the Township has worked with the County Board of Commissioners to approve a left turn signal as well as lane realignment for the intersection,” the Township stated last week.
Yesterday, the pattern went into effect, but multiple readers have reached out to TLS as well as to the Mayor, complaining about the new traffic pattern.
Are you finding the new pattern helpful, or do you feel it wasn’t properly planned out?
West bound towards Jackson is horrible you lose a lane – how can that be good for traffic?? It continues the bottleneck that you have coming from rt 9 – then it opens up for a minute and back to 1 lane –
You took the words right out of mouth
Mine too. Absolute disaster.
Creating traffic for everyone to save the few people turning onto laurelwood some time
Definitely gets the award for the least thought out solution. Traffic yesterday was terrible going towards jackson. How can you switch from 1 lane to 2 lanes and then a block later go back to 1 lane. Terrible bottleneck.
Agree to all comments that this was a terrible decision. Traffic was heavy in the area as it is, so how can reducing the lanes be considered a prudent move. If they wanted a left turn lane, they should have made that a third lane without taking awaycthe one “badly-needed lane. Heavy bottlenecks arrive as one approaches the light, which definitely does NOT ease the traffic through this intersection! Hopefully something will be done to correct this traffic nightmare!
Makes things much harder!Not Safer
It was not properly planned out almost caused accident
This new traffic pattern makes absolutely no sense. I travel this everyday, and I don’t see how it makes sense to provide a left turning lane west bound on West county line to turn on to Laurelwood. 99% of cars traveling down west county line towards Jackson are continuing straight, and not turning on to Laurelwood. Yesterday traffic was backed up because everyone was merging into one lane, because a left turning lane was constructed for maybe 1 out of 50 cars, that make a left on to Laurelwood. This is insanity!
I echo all of the above!
Many people have been working for more than 20 years to come up with a solution to prevent traffic accidents on this corner and this is what they finally came up with! Extremely pathetic, it causes a huge bottle neck and waste of time for thousands of cars every day. The ironic thing about it is that nobody actually uses the left turning lane from County Line to Laurelwood now because you can’t even get into that lane without waiting for a few light changes, so all of those people go up different blocks to get to Laurelwood. I did hear though that they will probably extend the time for the green light and see how that goes..
It’s terrible
The traffic towards Jackson is terrible now. I used to only wait a minute at that light, but yesterday evening I was stuck in traffic for 10 minutes! This isn’t solving a problem; it’s making it worse. Whoever planned this either doesn’t commute through here daily or didn’t consider how much worse they’d make it. Something needs to change.
it doesn’t make sense. but we need a solution. one of the scary parts of this intersection is that when a car wants to make a left turn on to laurelwood coming from jackson and a car wants to make a left turn on to laurelwood coming from Rt 9 it is really really dangerous. bec both cars inch up into intersection blocking both of them from being able to see if a car is coming at them in the other lane. it is a pure danger. many times both cars just wait until the light turns red to turn bec then they know no cars are coming. or they take the risk and make the turn many times almost causing an accident for cars zooming down county line. but otherwise this intersection was perfect before. i laugh how there are so many other crazy crazy traffic patters, issues and intersections that need major help and the county decides to work on this that should be on the bottom of their list. its comical.
They can make it a left turn light without it being a left turn only lane
There were problems when traffic had to move around a car who was making a left turn… so the township made it official? Now traffic has to move around even when there is no car turning?? This is so typical of the “traffic solutions” I see here in Lakewood. The “fixes” are so often clearly not thought out, and often cause more problems then they solve.
The fact is that a left turn arrow without a dedicated (ADDITIONAL) left lane, is a half-hearted, half-baked “fix” that doesn’t do much at all, besides causing more problems.
Shout out for the fixes that are truly helpful: Vine street to Pine with the light on Cedarbridge actually is wonderful!
Terrible! It makes no sense. Traffic all backed up on county line and almost no cars going the other way.
Disastrous!, Took 20 minutes of extra time to wait in traffic coming from Route 9 , this is a trip we make daily multiple times and honestly all drivers were trying to bypass the intersection , either taking kennedy blvd or 14th street, which was causing bedlam. This needs to be reverted back immediately.
Totally ridiculous! I took my teenage son after yeshiva last night, to show him the ridiculous changes to the Laurelwood intersection. He had a good laugh too!
So stupid!
This is the worst solution of all time! The bottleneck westbound is going to cause more unsafe driving- people rushing to “beat” the light, cars making left turns at earlier blocks since they can’t even reach the turn lane since the line is too long, drivers not aware of the change staying in the left hand lane and then having to merge back in at the last minute.
Just sat through 3 light cycles of gridlock on W county line thanks to the new pattern. Awful.
The most ridiculous thing I’ve ever seen in my entire life , I can even begin to describe how stupid it is that the left signal on to laurelwood coming from the 9 gets more time than going straight and 99% of people are going straight they literally just created another HOPE CHAPEL ( the worst engineering possible ! as the lights on hope chapel are too short ) please hashem help us with whoever is engineering Lakewood should please stop with these ideas 😞 .
I believe that Hope Chapel should be named Abandon All Hope Chapel road. It’s dangerously crowded and will be SO much more so when the new mega development is built.
Will definitely cause more accidents than before
Terrible
The traffic was backed up to Heathwood
How about no turns at that corner
This is was not a smart solution at all. I kept wondering why there’s so much traffic on County all of a sudden (at 9 PM) and took 14th instead. But then I saw the new turning lane and realized how ridiculous it is. I understand the thought process but practically it’s really terrible.
Brainless.
I don’t know who cam up with this “solution” or who thought it’s a good idea. All it accomplished is to cause a new bottleneck and additional traffic.
Lakewood Traffic Planners: Hey look there is still one functional road left in Lakewood, we better do something about it.
Job done!
this was the last place without traffic
what a bad non-solution solution
everyone traveling east is cutting onto oncoming traffic to get to turning lane
the ISSUE was the turning light that no one paid attention to it
fix it like pine and MLK
this is beyond silly
Should have taken this survey before all that tax money was spent in vain
Was wondering what the unusual backup bottleneck was at 6:40pm !
Now I got my answer. Just another hassle created for Lakewood drivers , Bravo!
The planning people must be inept, and stupid and obviously don’t understand the issues and the solutions to the problem.
Totally ridiculous! Although something had to be done, this was not thought out properly and makes the situation much worse!
Should have a public hearing about this and you might hear some good solutions.
Totally ridiculous! Although something had to be done, this was not thought out properly and makes the situation much worse!
Should have a public hearing about this and you might hear some good solutions.
Meanwhile, put it back the way it was.
I’m not into the name calling. I appreciate those that tried and put effort into rectifying the situation. As many mentioned already this turned into a disaster overnight.
The township should have officers controlling this intersection until this is reverted back to what it was.
Then the planners can go back to the drawing board to do something that “helps”.
This most asinine thing I have ever seen. Two lanes to one lane then back to two Lanes? The Jackson Planning board must be laughing so hard right now.
Really causing more problems I’ve been driving at this corner for over 30 years You took the one decent drive to the worst I don’t know who makes these decisions and why we’re “stuck “with it!!
Like Russia
My office is right there, now I have to sit in traffic ever since the new pattern. Really annoying that they are making more traffic rather than working on the traffic problem.
i would say dumbest thing ever but everything in this town is
How bout if you make it illegal to make a left turn onto Laurelwood when coming from Rt 9.
It’s nice to hear everyone’s input, even those who have no clue as to what the problem is. I live in the neighborhood and listen to the screech and boom of the accidents on a regular basis. The county has a list of hundreds of accidents on this corner. Some were fatal RM’L. I know it’s difficult to add a few more minutes to your trip, but I don’t think you would mind it too much if you knew that it was your wife or child that is not getting into the next accident. Chazal made Gzeiros for less serious odds. You can’t fix every problem perfectly to everyone’s satisfaction. I, seeing the damage and crying of the victims on a regular 2 to 3 times a week basis, am happy to see something change. This was not a change because of a trffic problem, this was a change to save lives.
local resident
I echo every comment above. Will these comments please be sent to the township so the “fix” can be undone ASAP??
I called to complain to OCean county engineer. 7329292130
Just Make No Left Turn Onto Laurelwood Coming From Rt 9 And All Problems Will Be Solved!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This traffic light is terrible! The last few days it took me an extra 10 15 minutes to get home! Please change it back now!!!!!!!
This traffic change is one of the most brainless things I have ever seen. Really Inconveniencing thousands of drivers, making their drive gehenoim for what!?!
Please someone reach out to the mayor or whoever needs to be reached out to and change it back. As far as the accidents make it a no left like many have suggested.
Yes living in the neighborhood, I have seen and heard many bad accidents there including with some family members. However, there are other things that could have been attempted to minimize the problem. How about dropping the speed limit in that area and actually enforcing it like with speed cameras (like on Ocean Parkway and throughout BK)??
So several people made a good suggestion to make no left turn on Laurelwood when heading West.. Yes, this would be a good idea and take care of probably 60-70% of the problem as most accidents happen on that side. Furthermore, the people living on that part of Laurelwood have several other options to gain access to the block. However, the other big issue is that many accidents also happen on the other side of the street from the traffic coming East and making a left turn on Laurelwood towards the Mesivta (just a few weeks ago 2 cars caught on fire there..). In this case, you cant simply say also no left turn there because the people living on Brittany Court will only have 1 way to gain access to their block.. These 2 left turning lanes are opposite each other as County Line was wide enough coming East to make 4 lanes, but only 3 lanes going West. Which could potentially lead to another solution.. Maybe widen the road there a few feet to get enough lanes in.. If they managed to get an extra turning lane on many of the blocks in middle of Route 9, they could certainly figure it out here as well..
As far as not allowing a left turn from County line going West onto Laurelwood, that would also solve a lot of the problem and the residents there would still have enough ways to access their block. However, the issue remaining would be the opposite side of the street corner that sees its fair share of accidents (remember the fiery 2 car crash a few weeks ago) from those heading East on County Line and turning left on Laurelwood towards the Mesivta (which always had a left turning signal delayed green..). In this instance, you couldnt make it a no left turn there because then the people living on Brittany Ct will have almost no access to their block.. And currently the added left turning lane going East corresponds with the opposite turning lane..
It should be 2 lanes all the way through, with a delayed green.