Mount Laurel council rescinds new turn-restriction ordinance after residents flood the meeting, orders traffic-engineer review

Mount Laurel Township Council on June 15 moved to rescind a recently adopted turning-restriction ordinance affecting Tam O’Shanter and Church Roads after a large turnout of residents urged the council to reconsider, citing access problems, disputed traffic data and safety concerns.

The council introduced Ordinance 2026-21 to repeal Ordinance 2026-15 and set a public hearing for the July meeting. Mayor (name listed in the record as Mayor) said the action will allow “further conversation” with traffic engineers and the police department before any restriction is reinstated.

Why it mattered: Residents said the turning restrictions were adopted without adequate neighborhood notice and said the traffic study provided to justify the ordinance contained conflicting numbers. Kelly Katchik, who delivered a petition she said has nearly 500 signatures, told the council the study’s findings did not support the drastic access changes and said the measures would “disproportionately impact the residents who live in this neighborhood and rely on these streets for access to work, school, and daily activities.”

Data and dispute: Council and police officials cited two traffic counts: an in-place (pole-mounted) counter in February that recorded about 995 vehicles on South Brentwood and a later April count reported at about 2,100 vehicles. Lieutenant Almo, who conducted the more recent study, said the higher figure came from a third-party DOT contractor that samples GPS/Bluetooth and other vehicle-mounted data and reported roughly 98% accuracy; he said the issue motivating the recommendation was vehicle volume and congestion rather than speeding.

Several residents and speakers challenged that conclusion. Gene Alenberg asked how a road could more than double in measured traffic in two months and suggested GPS data can misassign traffic to adjacent streets. Other residents warned that redirecting local traffic onto Route 73 and Ramblewood Parkway could increase risks at intersections that already carry higher crash counts.

Process and next steps: The council directed staff to have traffic engineers perform a formal review, with Meredith (staff) estimating a formal report would take roughly 60–90 days. If engineers recommend returning the restriction, the council said residents would be notified by posted agendas and the township website and a public hearing would be scheduled. The introduced repeal (Ordinance 2026-21) will be subject to that July hearing.

Context: Speakers noted state and county projects on Route 73 could change local traffic patterns. Resident Amy Gerbin said the NJDOT’s Route 73 intersection redesign is in final design and could begin construction as early as late next year; council members reiterated they will continue pressing state and county officials for infrastructure funding.

What the council did not record: The transcript shows the motion to introduce the repeal was moved and seconded and that the item will be publicly heard in July; individual roll-call vote tallies for the repeal and some consent items were not specified in the record provided.

The council closed the meeting after additional agenda items and posted notices about ongoing engagement opportunities. The traffic-engineer review and the July hearing are the next official steps.