By Stephen Appezzato
RUMSON – Shore traffic is a regular and frustrating feature of the Two River area during the summer months. As residents and tourists flock to Monmouth County’s beaches, roadways can become congested, causing backups, delays and annoyances for drivers.
In Rumson the matter appears particularly worrisome this year, with residents turning to Facebook to air their concerns.
“What does it take to get a traffic light at Bingham Ave/Rumson Road?” one resident posted to the town community group, spurring residents to air their roadway grievances in the thread.
One lifelong resident responded, saying she’s never witnessed the borough’s traffic as concerning as it is now, pointing to cellphone distractions, population density and new residents’ poor driving as explanations.
Another resident likened the roadway to the Indianapolis 500, calling for the speed limit to be reduced to 25 miles per hour, as it is on River Road.
This intersection is especially precarious as the turn onto Rumson Road from Bingham Avenue is somewhat blind and, as a high volume of traffic speeds down Rumson Road, there is often only a small window to safely make the turn.
“Everyone needs to slow down and freakin’ pay attention!” another Rumsonite wrote, claiming everyone is in a rush and new drivers drive as if they’re invincible.
The Borough of Rumson in collaboration with Police Chief Jeffrey Nixon wrote in an email to The Two River Times that “traffic congestion in the two rivers area has increased due to many factors,” and despite many of those factors being beyond the borough’s control, Rumson continues “to issue public safety alerts to the community and suggest alternative routes and methods to mitigate congestion.”
Rumson Road has always been a hotspot for shore congestion, being a highly traveled route to reach Sea Bright’s beaches. On Sunday, a seven-car accident on the bridge connecting the two towns caused traffic delays for hours.
With the construction of a new bridge continuing this year, traffic along the route has been particularly trying for locals this season. The bridge project is estimated to cost upward of $100 million and will largely be paid for with federal funds. The completion date for the bridge is slated for 2024.
Normally, borough roadway concerns can be brought to their respective town’s governing body and addressed “in-house,” through a process of introducing a resolution or ordinance to fix the traffic issue.
In this instance, however, Bingham Avenue and Rumson Road are county roads, which means they fall under Monmouth County’s oversight.
To push for a traffic light or speed limit decrease near this intersection, Rumson would have to issue a formal request for a traffic study to the county “to determine if the intersection meets the criteria established by Federal Highway Administration’s (FHWA) Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices for Streets and Highways (MUTCD),” according to county commissioner Director Thomas Arnone, who is the board’s liaison to the county Department of Public Works and Engineering.
“The municipality would then submit the most recent three (3) years of crash data with their request for review to the County,” he continued.
After the county receives this request, a comprehensive traffic study would be performed, as well as a review of “the intersection sight distance and geometry.” The traffic study would be used to determine if the traffic volume satisfies the criteria established by the FHWA in the MUTCD for recommending a traffic light.
“The Borough of Rumson works regularly with Monmouth County on all county roads throughout the municipality,” according to a statement from the borough. But, the decision to implement a traffic light at the intersection of Bingham Avenue and Rumson Road or decrease the speed limit is ultimately up to the county.
Commenting on the issue of summer shore traffic in general, Arnone said, “The Department of Public Works and Engineering has not been informed of an increase in complaints from the public of local law enforcement.”
As concerns over this intersection persist among residents, the first step in creating change would be to bring the matter to the next borough council meeting, urging a formal request to the county to conduct a traffic study.
The article originally appeared in the August 10 – 16, 2023 print edition of The Two River Times.
