Ventnor is now the only town on Absecon Island with a 35 mph speed limit along Atlantic Ave. Margate, Longport and Atlantic City have already reduced their speeds to a safer 25 mph on this beach-block corridor. So, what’s holding Ventnor back?
From Philly.com: Pedestrian-heavy streets close to the beach with 35 mph speed limits…are “recipe for killing people”
At 20 mph or less, motorists often yield to pedestrians without worry. Over 20 mph, drivers will try to get past a crossing family on their way to the beach.
Ventnor Public Safety Commissioner, Tim Kriebel, tells DownbeachBUZZ that Ventnor enforces 35mph speed limit on Atlantic Ave, and has no immediate plans to reduce speed limit.
In 2010, New Jersey passed a law that requires “the driver of a vehicle to stop and stay stopped for a pedestrian crossing the roadway within any marked crosswalk.” Sometimes they do, sometimes they don’t.
The Ventnor population expands to over 38,000 on a summer weekend. Margate increases to 31,000. People walking, driving, biking and parking are everywhere.
Pedestrians Vs Cars at Crosswalks. Who Wins?
On Monday, July 3rd, we witnessed a young mother pushing her baby stroller across Atlantic Ave., a block from the beach, adjacent to the tennis courts & playground. After a few minutes waiting for her chance to cross the 4 lanes, she cautiously started her walk. Avoiding cars doing a 35 mph speed limit is not easy. Most were hitting 40+ mph.
As the young family made it half-way, cars quickly appeared. One vehicle driven by a 50-ish female was so angered by the delay of a passing mommy, she pressed down hard on her horn and swerved into the opposing lane to get around the ‘inconvenience’. The driver then flipped the bird and yelled profanities as she passed in her light blue sedan.
In May 2012, a 79 yr old pedestrian was struck and killed by a car at the intersection of Atlantic and Little Rock Ave. in Ventnor
From Pedestrian And Bicycle Plan For Margate & Ventnor:
ATLANTIC AVENUE
Margate has a 5 ft wide bike lane in both directions, while Ventnor has no bicycle lanes.
Editors Note: During the summer, according to city ordinance, bikers are prohibited from using the Ventnor boardwalk after 12 noon. Riders are forced to use streets with no bike paths, usually Atlantic Ave, to traverse the length of Ventnor.
Crossing Atlantic Ave on foot is particularly challenging at intersections with no signals, where pedestrians have to navigate four lanes of moving traffic in one crossing and face the potential for a “multi-lane threat.” This threat arises when a vehicle in one lane stops for the crossing pedestrian, but the vehicle in the other lane does not because the visibility of the pedestrian is blocked by the first vehicle.
The difficulty in crossing Atlantic Ave in Ventnor is exacerbated by the tendency on Atlantic Ave. for vehicles to travel well in excess of the speed limit, which makes it harder for pedestrians to adequately judge gaps in traffic or stopping distances.
Plan4Safety crash analysis system for 9 year period between 2005 and 2013: 240 reported crashes involving bicyclists and pedestrians, resulting in 217 injuries and two fatalities. These numbers only includes crashes that were reported to police, and does not
include incidents that were not reported or near misses.
A March 2016 public meeting highlighted these concerns from attendees:
- Improve conditions/safety on Atlantic Ave
- Need safer pedestrian crossings
- Don’t remove parking – too valuable
- Lower the speed limit
- Need traffic signal improvements
Comments were also submitted via website. Common themes:
- More education and enforcement
- Road ‘diet’ on Atlantic Avenue
- Extend Margate bike lanes into Ventnor
- Ventnor boardwalk access for bikers stop at 12 noon in Summer
- Walking across Atlantic Avenue can be challenging.
VENTNOR BOARDWALK
- Speed differential between people walking and biking on boardwalk creates potential for crashes and near misses
- Lack of bicycle parking at entrance points
- Quiet, motorized bicycles are becoming more common. Some electric power-assist bikes can reach speeds of 20 mph or more.