Traffic No Longer an Inconvenience but a Quality of Life Issue

 Traffic traffic traffic yes those who sit in it daily can tell you all about it which is most of the town. As the population grew and houses were built the traffic increased. In the past when people would complain about traffic, officials would say you don't know what traffic is, try getting out of NYC during rush hour or sitting on a freeway in Los Angeles. Lakewood Vaad members would say traffic is something we have to learn to live with and it is a small price to pay for  living in Lakewood

. It is no longer an inconvenience; it has become a serious quality of life issue. It literally controls the entire daily schedule affecting people's health, emotionally and financially on a daily basis. Tens of thousands of residents are spending an average of an extra hour and a half a day sitting in Lakewood traffic. People are coming late to work or yeshiva resulting in  losing pay, making up for lost hours and bitul Torah

The frustration of getting across town or to a doctor's appointment on time or a routine errand that should take 10 minutes instead of 30 is something people have to factor in when scheduling, working it around the traffic. There's no more picking up a kid for an appointment and bringing them back an hour later to school. Drivers get frustrated and make irrational driving decisions resulting in higher traffic accidents. A youngerman coming to learn, an employee to work or a working mother rushing to pick up the children are emotionally drained and not in the best of moods or proper frame of mind after sitting in traffic. It is taking a toll on people and they begin their day stressed out. Children sitting on buses for up to 2 hours in what should be a 30 minute ride, Mesivta boys cant get to yeshiva on time missing shachris because the buses can only come at 6 am to avoid the traffic later on. The financial costs of gas and wear and tear on the cars, lost wages for hourly workers, the loss to store owners who can't get customers because of traffic the list goes on and on.   

 There are those who claim they don't have or sit in traffic, yes they have the luxury to not leave the house until 11 am or not working or  can walk to their destination but the majority are on the streets commuting during the morning and wasting time and money sitting on Lakewoods roadways. The only window of less traffic is from 11 am - 2:00 pm  after that its is back to sitting on the roads with 2 o'clock dismissals, 3 o'clock day care pick up  etc.. 

Easy to complain, they say but we need solutions. Yes that is true but the complaints and solutions have been falling on deaf ears for the past 15 years and the problem only got worse.

There's enough blame to go around with township officials blaming the county and state for their roadways that run through Lakewood or  blaming local officials that have never taken responsibility for their part by not improving the infrastructure to keep up with the pace of new construction and allowing zoning boards to approve large developments without infrastructure requirements.

 Some solutions 

A robust public transportation system eliminating the need for youngeleit to commute to yeshiva or day care centers would be a start as well as shuttles for the  senior community.

Lobbying elected representatives for funding.

Recently  congressman Chris Smith allocated funding of 3 million dollars to improve the traffic flow in Lakewood. The money will go to build 2 roadways in the soon to be 450 apt project for BMG  student housing at property purchased from GCU. That's not fixing the traffic right now. Lakewood is soon to be the 4th largest city in NJ it deserves a front seat at the table

Streamlining busing schedules and day care pick ups as they are now causing more traffic since people used to have their kids at local babysitters closer to home now with the day care industry booming it is another extra stop creating more traffic. 

Building more infrastructure in Jackson and Toms River

Everyone is headed in to Lakewood for schools shuls and shopping if the outside communities focus on building up a frum infrastructure it will help ease traffic and no need for everyone to come to one place.

Change the form of government giving people more of a say and control and electing the mayor directly with a system that has representatives of all areas such as a council. Elect zoning board members with a condition that they are residents of Lakewood before making decisions that have no effect on them.

Open up thoroughfares, keep grids in place and not add more cul de sacs with all cars ending up back on one roadway 

 make zones schools

something that is not practical but if all people who live in an a area will go to those schools within a mile radius it will ease traffic, save on busing and fix the school crisis.

Accept the nisayon, and try to be positive.