SPEEDING & TRUCKS STUDY
EDITORIAL: County Engineers Study Out Of Step With Residents
SUMMARY: Our county engineer’s office conducted a Mount Holly traffic study that carefully measured speed and vehicle type. They methodically compared these measurements to federal standards and generated conclusions that they claim are faithful to federal criteria. The conclusions are also wildly out of step with what Mount Holly residents want based on door to door canvassing of residents who want to see the number of heavy trucks reduced along with the reduced speed limits.
SPEEDING STUDY
The recently released county engineer’s evaluation of traffic on Garden Street classifies it as an “urban minor arterial” road. See Traffic Study
The study found that that nearly 2 of 10 vehicles were traveling 7 MPH or more than the posted 30 MPH speed limit. That is, 15% of vehicles measured had speeds HIGHER than the “85th percentile”. But since 8 of 10 vehicles measured had exceeded the limit only “slightly” [traveling up to 36 MPH], therefore “the posted speed limit of 30 mph is appropriate for the current roadway conditions and driver behavior.”
While they apparently measured speeds right, this conclusion could not be more disagreeable to most residents, despite its apparent faithfulness to federal guidance.
To be fair, the report also noted that at the 50th percentile, vehicles traveled at 31 MPH or less. As a layman reading the report, its the 50% percentile that I would have classified as “slightly exceeding”, not the 85th percentile that are doing 36 MPH.
The engineer almost made my point for me by stating in an email that “approximately 17% of vehicles were traveling between 35 and 40 mph.” And this does not even acknowledge the 5% or so going faster than 40 mph. How is that an acceptable outcome on a residential street that has parked cars opening doors, bicycles entering traffic, pedestrian children crossing and multiple driveways?
The measurements square with my experience living on Garden Street, where something like every 5th or 6th vehicle seems to be going way too fast. Some are clearly in excess of 40 MPH.
INCONSISTENT SPEED LIMITS
While the engineer’s speed limit conclusion for Garden Street relied on recent measurements and federal standards, the decision is inconsistent with speed limits throughout the rest of the town. If you look at other similar “minor arterial” streets in town, the speed limits are 25 MPH. See the map: High, Mill, Pine and Madison.
It should be noted that the mapped green section of Garden Street is owned by the Township of Mount Holly. And county engineer William Sheaffer stated:
“The Township may pursue its own traffic studies or roadway measures on the municipal portion of Garden Street, including consideration of speed limit changes or weight restrictions, subject to applicable regulatory requirements.”
The Mount Holly Police Department commented on the speeding issue as follows:
“15% of vehicles traveling 7+ mph over the limit is not something we would casually dismiss. In fact, that’s a meaningful number when you’re talking about safety, especially on a roadway like Garden Street where we’ve already had complaints and incidents.” Chief Spencer
The Reporter calls on our elected leaders to reduce the speed limit on Garden Street to 25 mph from Mount Holly Avenue to High Street.
TOO BIG TO STOP
The county study also looked at traffic volume and type. Vehicle type was determined by length because they were not going to weigh each vehicle. The study surveyed 4,209 vehicles and classified them into 3 groups:
Motorcycles/Passenger Cars 86.6%
Single Units/Buses 11% [less than 40 feet length]
Tractor Trailers 0.4% [168 total vehicles]
The only vehicles counted at “Heavy” by the county study were the Tractor Trailers. This is a category error in my opinion.
The county used the proxy of length to determine weight. While its understandable given the limitations of the study, they apply a catch-all category of “Single-Unit” for any vehicle less than 40 feet long. This causes a serious category error and undermines the county’s decisions about weight. The “Single-Unit” category puts F-250 pickups and dump trucks in the same weight class. A person doesn’t need to have an engineering degree to know this is wrong.
With due respect to the County Engineer’s office, pickup trucks and dump trucks should not be together in the same weight category. A fully loaded large pickup might weigh almost 6 tons. A dump truck can weigh 13 tons and should have been classified as heavy. The conclusion that there is “minimal heavy truck activity” should be changed because it was based only on tractor trailer traffic.
The petition campaign to convince Eastampton and Westampton to support Mount Holly’s truck “pass-through” ordinance has begun and signs are being deployed along Garden and Branch streets. This campaign has a goal of 300 signatures.