To the editor:
I am writing to urge the township to place a “No Left Turn” sign to prevent cars from turning left onto Amwell Road from the ShopRite complex.
On Tuesday, Jan. 12, there was a major car accident on Amwell Road, right across from Hillsborough Elementary School. Multiple cars were involved, including a truck that was flipped over.
Unfortunately, car accidents at this location are all too common. Amwell is a major two-lane road that consistently has heavy traffic, especially during rush hour, but that alone does not explain why there are so many accidents there.
In most cases, the accidents occur when people try to make a left turn onto Amwell from the ShopRite complex. This left turn is often very difficult to make safely. Cars have little time to make the turn, since the speed limit on Amwell Road is 45 mph and they have to cross two lanes of oncoming traffic.
The alternatives are much safer; there are two opportunities to make a right turn out of ShopRite onto Route 206, which intersects Amwell immediately, and taking this route adds no inconvenience.
Two years ago, I was involved in an accident at this very spot. I was driving down Amwell toward Route 206, and I was hit by a car turning left out of ShopRite. Traffic was not particularly bad that day, but the reason the other person didn’t see me was that there was already another accident at the scene.
I am lucky that my accident was far less severe than the accident that occurred on Tuesday, as well as the other accidents that have occurred at this busy location. The other accidents have resulted in serious injuries and deaths over the years, and they can be even more serious because of traffic in and out of the elementary school.
A “No Left Turn” sign will surely not prevent all accidents on Amwell Road, nor is it an excuse for the reckless driving that is so often their cause. It may, however, save a few lives. I hope that the township will recognize the urgency of this situation and act quickly, before the next accident.
Vinay Ravinder
Hillsborough
