CREST HAVEN – Rumble strips, love ’em or hate ’em.
The humble pavement indentations have brought grumbles from some residents who live near them. From them, strips get resounding thumbs down because of the noise created when vehicles roll over them.
Center-line rumble strips, placed on Route 47 in Cape May County as head-on collision prevention, were cited as life savers. That’s because their vibration and inner-car noise alert drowsy drivers, or those talking on phones or texting, they have crossed into the opposite lane. While doing either without a hands-free device is illegal many ignore the law.
County Engineer Dale Foster briefed freeholders July 11 of an application for $2 million in federal funding for installation of center-line rumble strips on 142 miles and 750,000 linear feet of county roads that meet the criteria.
Foster, keenly aware of sentiments stirring on both sides of the issue in the public, sent letters, advising of the potential funding, to municipalities.
Yes, No
Letters were sent by Foster’s office to Avalon, Ocean City, Sea Isle City, Stone Harbor, West Cape May, Woodbine, Dennis, Lower, Middle and Upper townships.
Responses, according to Foster:
Ocean City, no.
Sea Isle City, probably no.
West Cape May, yes.
Dennis Township, no, except for four sections: Woodbine-Ocean View Road from Woodbine line to CR 610 to Corson Tavern, Woodbine-Belleplain Road through the state forest, Weatherby Road by Cumberland County line, and a couple of hundred feet on Sea Isle Boulevard.
Lower Township, yes.
Middle Township, yes.
Pushback Expected
“There is pushback from the public because of the tires going over them,” said Foster. “You get used to that over time.”
“Having traveled quite a bit lately, I’ve noticed other states’ rumble strips,” Foster continued.
In New Jersey, the spacing between the bumps is 12 inches. In Pennsylvania and New York State, those spaces are 24 inches, and they are slightly smaller.
Foster cited drivers who continue to ignore the law and talk on cell phones while driving. “There is an increasing number of inattentive driving. This is a low-cost safety improvement. We haven’t gone into this blindly. We know the pushback.”
Dual Fatality Cited
Foster, in response to a question from Freeholder Will Morey, said he had received standard rumble strip drawings from New York and Pennsylvania.
Foster cited a dual fatality that occurred in Lower Township July 9 on Seashore Road (CR 626) when a driver crossed the center-line which does not have rumble strips and struck an oncoming motorcycle. The motorcycle’s driver and passenger died as a result of their injuries. “Would this have saved them?” Foster asked.
“The safety factor is so significant,” said Freeholder Director Gerald Thornton. Noise may be an inconvenience, Thornton added, but the safety factor is of utmost concern.
He recalled the prospect of center-line rumble strips was broached several years ago, he called Middle Township Police Chief Christopher Leusner to inquire about his sentiment.
“He said ‘We’ll do it right now,'” Thornton said.
Placement of those center-line rumble strips by the state Department of Transportation resulted in the wake of numerous fatal head-on crashes on Route 47, many of them in Middle Township.
Opposition in Dennis
At its June 27 meeting, Dennis Township Committee considered an ordinance to object to the installation of center-line rumble strips on certain roads, according to a story by Herald correspondent Camille Sailer.
“The amount of opposition to this program is huge,” said Mayor Zeth Matalucci. “They can still do larger county roads, but we don’t need rumble strips on the smaller roads in residential areas.”
Several residents objected to the county plan. Temerity Berry stated, “This plan is absolutely detrimental to our quality of life. We will never be able to sell our house once we retire if they put these rumble strips in.”
Dennis Township’s Engineer John Gibson stated, “I’ve heard that some municipalities are also objecting. The county believes this is a program that promotes safety, but I think they will listen to our objections. These four roads are included in this ordinance along with our objections regarding the other roads listed.”
Dennis Township Committee voted unanimously to approve the ordinance objecting to the rumble-strip program as presented by the County.
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