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Residents urge Absecon City Council to accelerate traffic‑safety fixes on Highland Boulevard
Summary
At an Oct. 2 Absecon City Council meeting, multiple residents pressed council members to add stop signs, speed humps and sidewalks on Highland Boulevard and nearby streets; council and staff said a June DOT grant application for about $800,000 is pending and detailed designs will be discussed at the public works committee Monday at 5 p.m.
A steady stream of residents told the Absecon City Council on Oct. 2 that speeding on Highland Boulevard and nearby streets has become a daily safety hazard and pressed officials to move faster on stop signs, speed humps and sidewalks.
"Let's solve the problem. Let's talk stop signs," said a resident during the council's public‑comment period, listing locations where he proposed multi‑way stops and speed humps.
Councilmembers and staff described a multi‑part approach. The city applied in June for a roughly $800,000 DOT grant to install sidewalks and other safety improvements along Highland Boulevard, a council member said, and the public works committee plans to evaluate specific stop‑sign warrants and raised crosswalk options at its Monday, 5 p.m., meeting.
City engineers said the grant application would fund a more comprehensive project — including sidewalks and possible pedestrian refuge islands — rather than piecemeal measures. "We didn't want to move forward with any peacemeal approach before seeing if we got the grant and then evaluating a more comprehensive improvement plan for Highland Boulevard," the city engineer said.
Residents also called for near‑term actions if the grant is not approved: setting multiple stop signs at intersections they identified as problem locations, placing speed humps in locations with narrow cross sections and increasing enforcement. Several speakers suggested starting bids for local mitigation such as flashing lights or sensors at crosswalks could be executed faster than major capital work.
Police leaders said enforcement has increased: the department recently hired six officers and conducts regular patrols on Highland and nearby streets. A council member spoke from a review of police data that, in the prior month, the department made roughly 385 stops and issued close to 500 traffic tickets — figures officials described as alarming and used to justify targeted enforcement and engineering measures.
Speakers also raised the growing presence of electric bikes and scooters on sidewalks and streets; a law enforcement official said the state is considering legislation to update rules for electric bikes and scooters, and other counties are taking action.
Next steps: the public works committee will hold an in‑depth session Monday at 5 p.m.; staff said they will assemble recommended stop‑sign locations, cost estimates and any warrant studies and return the package to the full council for a vote if the committee supports it.
The council encouraged residents who cannot attend the committee meeting to provide an email address so the committee will share meeting notes and follow‑up information.
