BRADLEY BEACH — The Bradley Beach Borough Council met on June 5 and passed a resolution asking the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) to reduce the speed limit on Main Street from 30 to 25 mph.
Prior to passing the resolution, the council held a workshop in which members of the borough council and residents offered their opinions on altering the speed limit of State Route 71, also known as Main Street.
Bradley Beach’s neighbor to the north, Asbury Park, already has its speed limit set at 25 miles per hour, as does Belmar.
During the workshop discussion, Mayor Al Gubitosi said he has been in contact with borough and township officials from southern neighbor Avon-By-The-Sea and northern neighbor Neptune/Ocean Grove, where officials are also “very interested” in reducing speed limits to 25 miles per hour on Route 71.
“The logic to this is speed reduction creates greater safety,” Mayor Gubitosi said.
The mayor mentioned jaywalkers, cyclists and pedestrians that often traverse Main Street in addition to limited sight triangles to vehicular traffic as reasoning behind the creation of a uniform and slower speed limit on the borough’s popular Main Street.
“These three municipalities (Neptune, Bradley Beach and Avon-by-the-Sea) agree that we’d like to create a 25 mph corridor, inclusive of Asbury Park and Belmar,” Mayor Gubitosi said.
Resident Dave Ratkowski said he agreed with the speed change, but said he is concerned that in accordance with the state law, the change would allow low-speed vehicles commonly referred to as golf carts to travel on Main Street. Ratkowski asked the governing body to consider an ordinance or resolution still banning golf carts and other low-speed vehicles from Main Street.
“They belong in lake communities or retirement villages, not on busy Monmouth County roads,” Ratkowski said, adding a list of New Jersey towns, including Lavallette, that have banned low-speed vehicles.
Alternate Borough Attorney William McGuinn added that although Route 71/Main Street is a state roadway, state statute allows a municipality to prohibit low-speed vehicles on a specific roadway, regardless of whether it’s a state or county roadway.
Resident Eileen Shisheas asked the governing body to examine speed limits throughout Bradley Beach and not just the borough’s Main Street.
“I just wish we could have a lower speed limit. I know the police do their job to try to catch the people, but it’s hard,” Shisheas said.
According to the resolution, Bradley Beach Police Department Chief James Arnold reviewed the proposed speed limit, as well as the involved towns chiefs of police, and supports the speed reduction “as a necessary measure to enhance public safety on Main Street.”
The resolution to alter the speed limit by five miles per hour was unanimously passed by the council. A formal request has been transmitted to the NJDOT to reduce the speed limit, alongside neighboring towns Avon-by-the-Sea and Neptune Township.
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