AVON-BY-THE-SEA — The Borough of Avon-By-The-Sea plans to submit a formal request to the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) asking for a five mile per hour decrease in the Main Street/Route 71 speed limit, the board of commissioners announced at its June 9 meeting.
The speed limit is currently 30 mph and would be lowered to 25 mph.
Avon’s Main Street/Route 71 is described as, “a heavily trafficked, mixed-use corridor frequented by pedestrians, cyclists, families and visitors, many of whom cross the street at designated and undesignated locations.”
Borough officials cite the benefits of increased vehicular and pedestrian safety and speed consistency with the neighboring towns of Bradley Beach and Neptune Township as necessities for the reduction.
Both towns have also shared similar interests in reducing the speed of their portion of Main Street/Route 71, to “complete a 25 mph corridor,” which would make it flush between Belmar at the south, and Asbury Park at the north, both of which currently have 25 mph limits.
“We, and Bradley Beach and I guess, Ocean Grove and Neptune Township, we would have to seek relief…from the state department of transportation to have this corridor be 25 (mph), so we’re doing a resolution to ask (them), us and the other towns to make it a continuous line of 25 mph.”
Lower speed limits in these areas, according to the resolution, also provide benefits to the public such as decreasing the likelihood of accidents, encouraging active transportation like walking and cycling, improving air quality and reducing noise pollution.
Mayor Edward Bonanno said that due to the fact that multiple towns in a line are on the same page with the request, it is likely that the state will approve it.
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