Speed limit on Old Trenton Road to be lowered
Just because people do it doesn’t make it right.
The state doesn’t necessarily see things this way, however. That’s why it seems highly unlikely that Middlesex County following state guidelines will agree to lower the speed limit on Old Trenton Road, also known as county Route 535.
The township asked the county in January to lower the road’s speed limit from 50 mph to 40 mph, and commissioned Shropshire Associates to do a required traffic study. The group’s findings show that 85 percent of motorists on Old Trenton Road traveling between South Main Street and Ancil Davidson Road drive between 50 and 54 mph. Because of this, Shropshire representatives say, the road is an unlikely candidate for speed-limit reduction.
It’s a classic case of circular logic. The speed limit is appropriate because people are driving the speed limit. The problem, however, is that it ignores other factors that should be weighed into any decision on how fast drivers should be allowed to drive on the road, such as its proximity to housing, parks or schools.
That is the case with Old Trenton Road, which is lined with residential developments, the Cranbury-Millstone Park and the Cranbury Swim Club.
The issue, say Cranbury officials, is pedestrian safety. Families from the Shadow Oaks development often walk across the road to get to the park or to head downtown, as do seniors from the new Four Seasons retirement community.
The Township Committee acknowledges that the road is wide enough and straight enough for drivers to safely travel at 50 mph, but only if other factors are not considered. The committee rightly points out, however, that a road with pedestrians is inconsistent with a 50 mph speed limit not to mention the mix of passing and no-passing zones that can make travel on Old Trenton Road confusing for motorists unfamiliar with the area.
But the process, as it currently exists, fails to consider this.
We believe the state Department of Transportation, which establishes protocols for speed limits and would have final say on any request, should re-evaluate the criteria it uses when towns make requests.
In the meantime, however, the residents of the developments along Old Trenton Road should approach the Middlesex County Board of Chosen Freeholders directly and make their case for slower speeds.
As for the Township Committee, it should pursue the other fixes suggested by Shropshire, including reducing the number of passing zones on Old Trenton Road, installing speed bumps and creating left-turn lanes.
The fact is, sometimes speed limits are about more than numbers.

