FREEHOLD – An ordinance designating an intersection near Freehold High School as a three-way stop has been introduced by the Borough Council.
Council members introduced the ordinance on Aug. 7 and set Sept. 5 as the date of the public hearing and possible vote for adoption.
If the ordinance is adopted, it will create a three-way (all-way) stop at the intersection of Robertsville Road and Oak Street and stop signs will be installed on all corners of the intersection, according to the ordinance.
The intersection of Roberstville Road and Oak Street is across from a parking lot at the high school.
At present, vehicles traveling on Robertsville Road are not required to stop. Vehicles on Oak Street must stop at a stop sign before turning left or right onto Robertsville Road. The speed limit at the location is 25 mph.
The recommendation to turn the intersection into a three-way stop was made by Freehold Borough Police Sgt. Eduardo Santana after he conducted a traffic study in the area.
In a July 3 email to Police Chief Glenn Roberts, Santana said the study indicated a speeding problem on Roberstville Road, specifically between Broadway and the borough’s border with Freehold Township.
Santana recommended creating a three-way stop at the intersection of Robertsville Road and Oak Street based on the study, complaints from residents and traffic observations.
“The [three-way stop intersection] would immediately make the area of Robertstville Road considerably safer for residents, as well as the [high school] students,” Santana wrote. “The two new stop signs (on Robertsville Road) would force all traffic to come to a complete halt and to travel at a slower speed. Therefore, it would discourage any reckless driving behavior.”
According to the traffic study which was conducted from April 1-10, 4,380 vehicles out of a recorded 17,186 vehicles were reported as speeding (25.5 percent). The maximum speed recorded was 62 mph, which is 37 mph over the 25 mph speed limit.