Township On Traffic Safety: "We'll Get Back To You."

Communication and Transparency in Local Government

My family bought our first home in Mount Holly on Canary Lane in 2006.  That small house on a calm, quiet street was perfect for us while the children were small.  But by 2019, when we decided to stay in Mount Holly, we looked for and found a bigger house on Branch Street.

- Noticing Traffic Hazards - 

Branch Street is the local name given to a wide and busy county road that is also known as Route 537 or as Monmouth Road.  The traffic there is faster and includes dump trucks, septic haulers and an occasional 18-wheeler [see article:

Truck Traffic].  Compounding the speed hazard is Branch Street’s complicated intersection with Garden Street and Ashurst Lane.  From my new home I saw parents on foot hurrying across Rte 537 to retrieve kids from the Head Start bus that stopped next to my driveway.  After witnessing what I considered “near misses”, I resolved to attend a Mount Holly township Council meeting to see if something could be done to achieve “traffic calming” in this residential setting.

Township officials instructed me to take my safety issue to Burlington County offices since the county had jurisdiction of the road.  The Township cautioned me that the County was unlikely to implement traffic calming measures.  Despite this discouraging advice, I made contact with the Burlington County Engineers office during January of 2020 and officials there promised to investigate and respond.  By September of 2020, the county officials told me to take my safety issue to a state office called NJ “Safe Routes”.

The NJDOT “Safe Routes to School” Program partners with schools and communities to create safe conditions for all pedestrians. Staff there told me that they could not dictate the route that Head Start buses should take, but clearly Route 537 was not a good choice. They advised me to take my safety issue to the Administrator of the Head Start program. 

When I called the Head Start Administrator [located in Lumberton], I was told that the bus did not stop of Route 537!  This was an interesting response since I had photographs of the bus stopped on 537 which I provided to the Administrator.  Her solution was to move the Head Start bus drop to Ashurst Lane.  With that, I was told that Head Start had done all it could. 

While this solved the safety problem for Head Start parents it did nothing to resolve the safety issue for High School kids who were running across the street during their scheduled school walks. This was also resolved by a call to the High School and their subsequent adjustment to the route of the walk. 

At this point the dangerous scenario for Head Start and the high school class was alleviated, but other pedestrians were still threatened. I returned to the County Engineer to discuss approaches that could be used to reduce the traffic danger.

- Progress with the County  -

On November 12, 2020, the County Engineer informed me that a sidewalk and two crosswalks would be created at the peninsula separating Garden Street and Branch street! This was completed in January of 2021 to our delight. 

Our family expressed gratitude to the County for the new sidewalk and cross walks across two roads. 

But in time it became evident that while these measures provided a safer route for pedestrians, they did little to calm traffic that created the danger.

- The Mayor Pledges Transparency –

The start of 2023 brought us an article in The Bridgetown News from Mayor Banks. I was happy to see him say that “communication and outreach are the keys to any successful town and I plan to improve both of those this year”.

With that message of hope I resumed attendance at Mount Holly Council meetings in February of 2023 with regard to the traffic issue and I was again told that the Township had no input on county roads in town and that I should take that issue to the county.  So in May of 2023 I communicated with the County to inquire about traffic calming measures like the flashing light which I noticed at High Street and Bartram Avenue and the other flashing light I noticed at Mill and Paddock Way

My inquiry with County staff revealed that construction is costly and would likely require a shared service agreement between the County and the Township. So it was not entirely true that the township had no part in these projects. While I was not aware of all the legal details and cost magnitude for the Township, I now knew the both government bodies would need to agree on studies and eventually enter into a written contract.

I note here that county staff said installation of signs, rumble strips, speed humps and flashing lights have a high threshold for justification. I appreciated their honest explanation that a few pedestrians crossing a busy road was not likely to qualify in terms of priority for these expensive interventions.  Still, I expected my municipal government to give some transparency about their efforts to reach agreement with the county on these safety concerns. So I attended Mount Holly Council meetings to see what progress had been made by Council and the Township Manager to reach agreement.

Elected officials and their appointed administrators should provide timely feedback that can withstand basic fact checking. 

- We’ll Get Back To You -

The Open Public Comment section of Mount Holly Council meetings begin with a warning: Council may choose to say nothing in response to comments or questions raised by residents. 

Indeed, a frequent statement from the Mayor in response to public comments is “We’ll look into it and the Manager will get back to you”.   

But Council actively avoids dialogue with residents as a matter of policy. At the November 2023 meeting, the Mayor enforced this policy when he stopped Council Member Burkus from making a timely engagement with my traffic issue during my comments. Mayor Banks demanded that Burkus not address my issue until after the public session was over.  While no one wants the return of hours-long council meetings, this policy* severely limits the possibility of dialogue with Council.   

Short meetings may please township staff and Council members who want to go home early.  But it frustrates residents who come to meetings for timely answers.  Some residents return to Council meetings month after month to read their unhappy list of dates, times and staff called and  emails sent to get answers. They report to Council that the promise of better communication in 2023 has not worked for them.  They note that despite the Mayor’s assurances, the reality is that staff do not get back to you. And some residents simply give up.

Unsurprisingly, for those who persist, frustration and cynicism set in and some lose their patience due to poor communication or even worse, when a Council member confidently tells you something that just isn’t true.

This is what occurred during the November 2023 meeting when Deputy Mayor Jones ignored the policy about speaking speaking during public comment period and impatiently responded to me that I should  “Go.  To.  The.  County”,  because according to Jones, the county has unitary power to solve traffic issues.  In video of the meeting, you can see the Mayor gesturing for Jones to calm down.

And it would have been better if Jones remained silent because he got it wrong.  As I noted earlier, these type of traffic interventions are not the domain of one branch of government. They require input and agreement from the township. 

As I eventually learned, the Township actually had conferred and agreed with the County. I now know this because a January 2024 Open Public Records Act request to Burlington County revealed that the Township Manager Josh Brown had in fact reached out to the County Engineers 6 months prior to Jones’ outburst. 

The Manager was informed at that time in an email from the County about a potential shared services agreement.  Then in May of 2023 the Manager  requested that the county conduct a traffic study.

One might expect Mr. Brown to have offered that fact and any updates to me while I stood in front of him asking for that very information during the public comment period. But no.  Please Note that when the  Manager is moved to do so, he looks up and speaks to members of the public.  But as per usual, in this instance he maintained a silent gaze at the table.

The Reporter asked Mr. Brown for comment on his responsibility to respond to residents during public comment. His response was that journalists are “subject to a harassment and defamation of character suits”.

- A Moment Of Transparency –

As the November meeting drew to a close and the prescribed time for Council Members to speak arrived, Ms. Burkus revisited my request for traffic information and asked the Manager whether he had exchanged an email with the County on that very subject.  “Correct” said the Manager. What was the outcome asked Ms. Burkus.  “I am still waiting for a reply.”

And with that comment the transparency window closed leaving me wondering what details were unresolved for six months. Had Mr. Brown engaged in dialogue with me then perhaps I could have left more informed. 

- Take A Deep Breath –

Mayor Banks spoke last at the November meeting and gave a message about seeking understanding. He assured us that the township “is aware” of our issues and is taking action.  With specific regard to my traffic issue he sought to expand the perspective from a specific location to the entire town by saying “there’s a lot of speeding all throughout town” and “literally someone nearly ran me over walking into the building today”.  He speculated humorously that the driver might have been a frustrated resident, then let it be known that Council had considered speed bumps but decided it would require them on every road and that was not a good solution. Banks pointed out the cause of speeding is “a societal problem … where people feel like they are in a rush all the time”, adding that “we need to take a deep breath and slow down”. He assured the audience that the Township is listening, aware and doing the best it can.

- A New Years Challenge -  

Mayor Banks’ message was essentially a challenge to residents. By taking a deep breath, slowing down and believing government hears us and is “doing the best we can”, we would all be helping heal a troubling societal problem of impatience and lack of consideration for others.     

Many of us would take this challenge, but with respect Mister Mayor, the problems discussed above make it clear that Mount Holly also needs to take a challenge.

If you really want to convince us that Mount Holly is doing the best it can, please accept this challenge:

1.     Pass a Resolution that demands the Manager provide full and timely information to residents by speaking directly to their inquiries at Council meetings. 

2.     Rescind whatever rule restricts dialogue between Council and residents during Public Session.

3.     Rescind any resolution which restricts the content of the Council Meeting Agenda to the Mayor and Manager. Replace that with a Resolution that allows each Council member to place one item on the agenda per meeting.  

4.     Introduce a Resolution which would schedule two meetings per month.

5.     Purchase a Public Address system with mics for each council member, Manager, Clerk, Solicitor and one for residents. Deploy it at all Council meetings starting with the April 2024 meeting, and

6.     Record all Council meetings and place recordings on the town web page within one week of the meeting.

If Council does these things, I will take that deep breath, slow down and re-assess my trust in our municipal government.