HOWELL – Residents came out to a recent Township Council meeting asking for the speed limit on Aldrich Road to be reduced.
The individuals who speak at these meetings typically belong to a coordinated group of concerned residents campaigning for or raising awareness about the same issue. This time, it was a group of people who live on or near Aldrich Road who were asking for the speed limit on Aldrich Road to be reduced.
One of the main legs of their argument is the fact that many of Howell’s speed limits were put in place when the town was less busy and populated, and how those speed limits are no longer adequate to protect the growing population.
Many of the residents who came to speak up about the speed limits on Aldrich Road focused on one area of the road, specifically the section between Windeler Road and Route 9.
According to Aldrich Road resident Maria Ciaravino, from January 1, 2019, to December 31, 2024, there have been 205 vehicle accidents along that two mile stretch of road. That equates to 2.85 accidents per month. 68 of those accidents led to injury, and 1 led to a fatality, she said.
One of the main issues that residents along Aldrich Road have with the current speed limits is that they affect their ability to leave their driveways. One resident mentioned how he fears for his life every time he leaves his driveway because of how fast people come down the road.
According to another concerned resident who spoke at the meeting, Tony Ciaravino, the speed limit being at 40 right now violates New Jersey statute 39 section 394-398. According to statute, the default speed limit in a business or residential district is 25 miles per hour unless a valid or recent engineering traffic study, done by the New Jersey Department of Transportation, shows that a different speed limit can be supported by the road.
Ciaravino said Aldrich Road has not had any study of the sort in a very long time.
“When a road passes through a residential area, 25 miles per hour is the expected standard, not the exception.”
Ciaravino also stated that Aldrich Road has a speeding problem affecting residents, and that the speeding problem is exacerbated by the higher speed limits.
“On Aldrich Road, residents live with the reality of chronic speeding. 40 miles per hour becomes 45, then becomes 50, and then becomes 60 on a regular, daily basis. Tailgating, aggressive driving, and honking when you’re trying to pull into your driveway. Serious near misses with pedestrians, cyclists, and children getting nearly hit as they’re going to their buses in the morning and in the afternoon. Noise, vibration, and constant danger erode the quality of life.”
After the public comment section concluded, the Howell Town Council was advised to conduct a traffic study that would provide a basis for lowering the speed limit. Since Aldrich Road is a town road and not a county road, the Howell town government has the power to get that done.
According to Deputy Mayor Susan Fischer, a traffic study was done along Aldrich Road by the Howell Police Department a while ago, but the study that the council was advised to do was a much more in-depth study that requires hiring an engineering firm. Funding would have to be raised by the township to hire that engineering firm.
