Traffic safety focus at meeting
The Shamong Sun
Residents of Grassy Lake Road arrived with a unified purpose at the Shamong Committee meeting on Tuesday, May 7. Their hope is to ensure the safety of their neighborhood with better and more enforced traffic regulations.
Grassy Lake Road runs from Indian Mills to Atsion roads, intersected by Stokes Road. The section of road between Atsion and Stokes is posted 35 mph, while the part between Indian Mills and Stokes is 25 mph. The latter stretch is residential, narrow and without shoulders on either side.
Several residents said they regularly witnessed cars driving more than 15 mph over the posted speed limit. They also reported several incidents of trees and lawns being damaged by drivers losing control of their vehicles due to excessive speeding. Concerns about child safety, as well as the inability to walk or bike around the neighborhood, were also raised. Those in attendance mentioned that checking the mail or backing out of a driveway have become high-risk activities.
Despite the already low speed limits and visibility issues due to the road’s sloping, the stretch is still designated a passing zone. Making all of Grassy Lake Road a non-passing zone is just one of the points presented in a proposal by residents.
In addition to repainting the lines, residents also proposed having “SLOW” and “25 MPH” painted at various positions on the road surface. Lowering the speed limit to 25 mph on all of Grassy Lake Road was suggested, but council members said that change would have to be made at the state level.
Many of the residents volunteered to have speed monitoring equipment placed in their yards informing passing motorists of the posted speed limit and how fast they are traveling. They believe that more signage and community awareness can go a long way in improving the dangerous conditions of the road.
Homeowners also do not want any repair work done to the surface of Grassy Lake Road, despite the existence of cracking and potholes. They feel fresh, smooth pavement will only make the roadway more conducive to speeding. One resident joked that he would be happy to have the thoroughfare return to being a dirt road if it meant safer conditions.
Residents spoke to the success enforcing the 25 mph zone on Oakshade Road from Medford-Tabernacle Road into Shamong. Due to aggressive enforcement, people have noticed that reduction in speeding has been achieved and sustained. The hope is, with a similar approach, the same could be done on Grassy Lake Road.
Mayor Jon Shevelew assured the residents that their concerns would be addressed.
“Our engineer will review the proposals presented to see what can be done immediately and what steps need to be taken down the line,” he said.
Residents of Grassy Lake Road hope that is the case, but, as they reiterated throughout the meeting, they are serious about these changes and will continue to be heard.
