This falls into the WTF category


A small community in New Jersey announced it would fine out-of-town commuters driving through the city’s streets in an attempt to decrease traffic and congestion.

The town of Leonia said its police officers would start fining the commuters $200 if they drive through 60 of its streets between 6 a.m. and 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. and 9 p.m. beginning on January 22, NJ.com reported.

Officials would give the community’s residents a yellow tag to leave in their car, letting officers know they live in the town. Those without a yellow tag would be subjected to the fine.

The town implemented the measure after traffic got much worse due to navigation apps such as Waze and Google maps leading highway drivers to the city streets as a shortcut. The town is located about a mile away from the George Washington Bridge, which leads into New York City.

Tom Rowe, the city’s police chief, said as many as 15,000 cars travel through the town every day. The population of the community is about 9,200 with 18 police officers.

“It’s a very extreme measure for very extreme traffic,” Rowe told The New York Times. “Would I prefer not to do this? Of course. But I would rather try something and fail than not try anything.”

Town officials told NJ.com that they were working with Waze so the software would not direct commuters to drive through Leonia.

The town’s officials said the measure was legal but it could be “tested in court.”

The New York Times reported the town’s residents had trouble getting out of their driveways during rush hour.

Melissa Soesmann of Leonia said she would “plead” with drivers to pull out of her driveway.

“It’s horrific, and it’s all the time,” she said. “They will see that you are trying to get out, but they won’t let you. People are cranky; it’s the morning. By the time they are up here, who knows how long they have been sitting in traffic.”

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2017...ecrease-traffic.html

I can't imagine that flying in a court of law.

"The town’s officials said the measure was legal but it could be “tested in court.”

Think you can bet the bank it will be tested.

I think the town's legal team is handing out some faulty advice.

The Privileges and Immunities Clause (U.S. Constitution, Article IV, Section 2, Clause 1, also known as the Comity Clause). They are restricting free travel. We'll be in Toms River next month. Might have to test their plan.

Google Maps/Waze have turned a couple of neighborhood roads near me, that used to be quiet, into virtual thorough fairs as cut-through roads.

Fuck Jersey

That would be a terrible precedent to set. Imagine how far this could go. I doubt it would stand a legal test.

Shit, they should fine themselves for being in New Jersey.

quote:

Originally posted by Lord Vaalic:
Fuck Jersey

Just a matter of time before someone felt they needed to say that.

quote:

Originally posted by olfuzzy:
Officials would give the community’s residents a yellow tag to leave in their car, letting officers know they live in the town. Those without a yellow tag would be subjected to the fine.

Cannot imagine that would be all that difficult to clone.

quote:

Originally posted by olfuzzy:
The town’s officials said the measure was legal but it could be “tested in court.”

Hmmm...

Given the way "journalists" "report" the "news," I'm going to guess what they've really done is made the entire town "no through traffic during the hours of..." I've seen those, and "no right/left turn between the hours of..." posted on neighbourhood around here often. Usually as a result of the same kind of thing.

Personally: I don't blame them one bit.

quote:

Originally posted by ensigmatic:

quote:

Originally posted by olfuzzy:
Officials would give the community’s residents a yellow tag to leave in their car, letting officers know they live in the town. Those without a yellow tag would be subjected to the fine.

Cannot imagine that would be all that difficult to clone.

quote:

Originally posted by olfuzzy:
The town’s officials said the measure was legal but it could be “tested in court.”

Hmmm...

Given the way "journalists" "report" the "news," I'm going to guess what they've really done is made the entire town "no through traffic during the hours of..." I've seen those, and "no right/left turn between the hours of..." posted on neighbourhood around here often. Usually as a result of the same kind of thing.

Personally: I don't blame them one bit.

You have no problem with a community restricting free travel?

quote:

Google Maps/Waze have turned a couple of neighborhood roads near me, that used to be quiet, into virtual thorough fairs as cut-through roads.

I have ridden around with my son in LA (he uses waze)and when there is a freeway blockage the parade through the residential streets is continuous.
Since the traffic is continuous, residential streets plug then waze directs to the next, which promptly plugs, etc.
I am certain that this is a major problem in any large city. The entire LA freeway system is one continuous traffic jam which is routed through every neighborhood within miles.

While I'm not for a rolling taxation system I can see the plight of a small community getting pounded with upset, late, tired, angry commuters, I doubt they'd want that same traffic in their subdivisions.

Happening quite a bit now in CFL, the city has grown significantly, roads that were under developed to begin with are being replaced, people are looking for alternatives to get around congestion, construction, tolls.

Buddy of mine and I were discussing that we've damn near lost 80% of the good motorcycle cruising roads near us in the past 5 years.

I have seen the problems that traffic can cause but is this the answer?

I'm sure that will have no impact on the businesses located with in the borough.



Idiots.

This is one of the advantages of living on a dead-end street.

I can see the point of the city. Where we previously lived our street was marked "No Thru Traffic" but that didn't stop anybody. Usually I did not have any issue with drivers as long as they respected the posted 25 mph limit.

Well except for one, he was not commuting, he was qualifying. Gravel street, about one and a half cars wide platted in the 1920's. One 90 degree turn and this jerk used to drift in the corner. Same time every morning, same POS minivan, Ford Aerostar.

Got his plate number, local PD would not do shit. We had a fire station at one end, a tee intersection with a major cross road. All the cops had to do was to sit in the parking lot, I even showed one of the cops that came out exactly where to sit, perfect vantage point out of view to the racer but a clear view of the curve and perfect to shoot radar.

Answer was "Can't commit manpower for this".

Another reason we sold and moved.

quote:

Originally posted by parabellum:
This is one of the advantages of living on a dead-end street.

I concur!

Well we certainly are not going to get people to change their behavior on their own, guilty myself on occasion, nobody wants to sit in stalled traffic.

Taxation has been used to influence human behavior for centuries, no different than putting in a toll road to take up slack or raising the gas tax to cover road work.

The solution is of course those responsible for the traffic problem to fix it, however building more bridges and roads takes more money, and that money is taken in the form of taxes from everyone. Additionally it takes years to get a project funded, green lighted and started with all the red tape and regulations.

Doing nothing hurts the residents who pay the property, income and use taxes to support the roads and police in that town, those passing through to avoid congestion are for the most part not participating in the revenue, but they are creating additional wear and tear on the infrastructure so some form of remuneration is out of the question?

The streets were put in for transportation in the city for the residents and workers that serve the city. City streets are not thruways, highways, tollways or interstates and are the property of the city not the people that live in another town passing through, seems to me that the use of the streets are subject to local rules. Hell just put up barricades on streets, make them all dead ends, contact Waze let them know and traffic gets re-routed.

Perhaps make the whole town private, toll roads watch behavior change LOL

quote:

Originally posted by HRK:
Well we certainly are not going to get people to change their behavior on their own, guilty myself on occasion, nobody wants to sit in stalled traffic.

Taxation has been used to influence human behavior for centuries, no different than putting in a toll road to take up slack or raising the gas tax to cover road work.

The solution is of course those responsible for the traffic problem to fix it, however building more bridges and roads takes more money, and that money is taken in the form of taxes from everyone. Additionally it takes years to get a project funded, green lighted and started with all the red tape and regulations.

Doing nothing hurts the residents who pay the property, income and use taxes to support the roads and police in that town, those passing through to avoid congestion are for the most part not participating in the revenue, but they are creating additional wear and tear on the infrastructure so some form of remuneration is out of the question?

The streets were put in for transportation in the city for the residents and workers that serve the city. City streets are not thruways, highways, tollways or interstates and are the property of the city not the people that live in another town passing through, seems to me that the use of the streets are subject to local rules. Hell just put up barricades on streets, make them all dead ends, contact Waze let them know and traffic gets re-routed.

Perhaps make the whole town private, toll roads watch behavior change LOL

So every municipality can come up with a tax/fine/remuneration for everyone who does not live in their community by uses the resources?

So crappy downstream traffic(NY) = MCF?

Shocking.