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Spring Lake Heights councilors advance speed‑table plan for Old Mill Road amid mixed resident reaction
Summary
At the March 16 council meeting, traffic consultants proposed 3-inch speed tables along Old Mill Road to slow vehicles to the posted 25 mph limit. Councilors approved a contract with the consultant and will move to detailed design after residents raised concerns about noise, parking and sidewalks.
Hunter Sabins of Dynamic Traffic told the Spring Lake Heights Borough Council on March 16 that engineers recommend installing speed tables along Old Mill Road as part of a traffic‑calming initiative intended to reduce speeding and encourage compliance with the posted 25 mph limit. "The intent is to have the vehicles travel at the posted speed limit of 25 miles per hour," Sabins said, adding the proposed tables would be a maximum of 3 inches high and would not affect drainage or on‑street parking.
Council members asked technical and siting questions. Councilman Leonard Capristo asked whether the north end could be moved closer to Route 35; Sabins said New Jersey Department of Transportation setback rules restrict placements close to state highways and that the county or DOT would need to be involved. Councilwoman Sara King asked about height; Sabins confirmed the Old Mill Road proposal is 3 inches maximum and said an experienced contractor would be needed to meet those dimensions. Borough Engineer Joseph May added that municipal snow‑plow speeds (about 20 mph) make the design compatible with plow operations.
The council opened public comment during the presentation and heard a mix of support and opposition from Old Mill Road residents. Barbara Santos said she appreciated the Borough addressing speeding and asked whether parking would be affected; Sabins replied the tables would not impact parking. Maria Naughton and others objected to potential noise from trucks and urged the council to consider aesthetics; Sabins responded that passenger vehicles traveling at the intended speed make minimal noise and that the treatment is intended to discourage large vehicles.
Mayor Christopher Campion said the borough had searched for ways to ban large vehicles from Old Mill Road for nearly two years but that neighboring municipalities would not support such a restriction, limiting what the borough could do. Sabins said striping alone would not achieve the same reduction in speed as physical tables and that the next step is the detailed design, which he said the borough will post online when available.
The council later approved Resolution R2026-69, awarding a contract to Dynamic Traffic LLC (the contractor identified in the presentation) to proceed with traffic work related to the borough's traffic‑calming program. The design phase will refine locations, signage and striping and incorporate residents' input received at the meeting.
