Everyone agrees that the constant drawbridge openings during the summer create huge traffic problems on Ocean Ave and on Main St. They are a great inconvenience for we locals and they cause a great deal of pollution from idling cars. Usually this is all for only one or two boats.
Why are the openings carried out totally at the convenience of the boaters with absolutely no consideration for the sometimes hundreds of people stuck in bridge traffic? I think they should have to pay.
We should lobby for permission to charge a toll to help compensate the residents of Belmar and Avon for the imposition of having to close busy roads to let boaters in and out of the harbor. Brielle, Point Beach, and others towns with the same problem should join us in this effort.
I say open the bridges on a schedule, say at the top of each hour, so the residents can plan their trips accordingly. Let boaters pass through toll-free during these scheduled openings. If they want the bridges opened at some other time, and it’s not because of some type of emergency, charge them a couple of hundred dollars and split the money with Avon. Maybe traffic will improve as boaters plan their trips around the scheduled openings. It would save wear and tear on the bridges and reduce their energy consumption. The additional revenue this policy would generate won’t hurt either.
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