Council bans left turns at Rt. 34, Spring Hill
BY MARLENE CANTY
Staff Writer

OLD BRIDGE - A township ordinance now prohibits left turns at the intersection of Route 34 and Spring Hill Road.

The Township Council approved the amended ordinance in an 8-1 vote Oct. 23, with the lone dissension coming from Councilman Dennis Maher.

Maher was unavailable for comment, but at earlier meetings he said he opposed the ordinance because of the effect he believes it may have on local businesses.

The measure, instituted after the tragic death Sept. 5 of Old Bridge High School senior Ashley Barton at the dangerous intersection, was the result of recommendations made by Old Bridge police officials.

Prior to the council's vote last week, resident Carolyn Smoljan, who first raised the issue before the governing body in the weeks after the accident, in which Barton's car was sideswiped by oncoming traffic, reiterated her concerns that the ordinance was inadequate and would only make the situation worse.

She, like others, would prefer to see a traffic light installed at the intersection, but this would require a lengthy process, as Route 34 is a state highway and Spring Hill Road is county owned.

"I would rather see the intersection at Route 34 and Spring Hill Road stay the way it is currently and have the state come in and conduct their own study and do it right, than to have a quick fix that won't solve the problem and is only a Band-Aid," Smoljan said.

Maher had prefaced his reservations by saying that his heart went out to Barton's family, but that he felt the measure would do lasting and perhaps irreparable damage to local businesses caught in the triangle between Route 34, Spring Hill Road and Old Mill Road.

Police Chief Thomas Collow, who first presented the measure at an Oct. 16 meeting, said at that time that the measure did not preclude the council applying to both the state and county to have the necessary studies conducted that might lead to a traffic light being funded and installed by the state.