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Editor, the Asbury Park Sun:

Recently Mr Levinsky correctly stated that there are questions regarding traffic calming. [Levinksy: Reject ain Street Corridor Redesign]

However, what was missed are the facts: A thing that is indisputably the case. Facts that Mayor John Moore does not grasp either, despite his intelligence and compassion.

Regarding emergency vehicle access and lane reduction: Dan Burden, who is from a family of firefighters, states: “Myth: Traffic calming should not be used on emergency response routes . . . or arterials. . . properly designed lane reductions . . . are appropriate for many of these locations.”

The next puzzle piece is data, which is defined in the Oxford University dictionary, Mr. Levinsky did not provide -Transportation and land-use planners don’t stand on the curb and exclaim “Wow! That’s a sh**-ton of cars! Let’s change our plans based upon there being a sh**-ton of cars to avert flaming heaps of wreckage!”

Rather a MEASUREMENT, which is how one quantifies data, is utilized. In this case, annual average daily traffic (AADT).

For Asbury Park Main Street, it is 18,449 AADT. With this data one then ANALYZES it. With this number, is traffic calming Main Street logical? Answer: “On streets with two through lanes plus a center turn lane . . . Using a long-term (23-year) crash history  . . . the later Iowa study found a 25.2 percent reduction in crash frequency per mile.”

Next, let us assume that pedestrians being mangled and potentially killed by automobiles, drivers injured, cars damaged, city EMT and fire fighters being sent out on calls, doesn’t matter. This is the apparent view of both Mr. Levinsky and Mayor Moore, as they oppose traffic calming.

Why then traffic calm Main Street? Answer: the economy.

In New York City (with far less parking available, far higher AADT) after “the construction of a protected bike lane on 9th Avenue, local businesses saw a 49 percent increase in retail sales,” In Fort Worth Texas, a four lane street was calmed and “restaurant revenues along the street went up a combined total of 179 percent.”

Regarding millennials: “In 2010, adults between the ages of 21 and 34 bought just 27 percent of all new vehicles sold in America, down from the peak of 38 percent in 1985.”

The Pew Charitable trust stated: “Communities across the country  . . .  believing that a cycling-friendly reputation will help them attract millennials and the creative and economic energy that comes with them” are supporting pedestrian and walk friendly communities.

As a side effect, traffic calming cuts crime. In West Palm Beach, Florida, prostitution arrests dropped 80%, drug arrests dropped 60%.

If I may suggest, Mr. Levinsky and Mayor Moore should expand their horizons beyond the Jersey Shore, and discover the real question.

Why DOES NOT Asbury Park want bicycle lanes on route 71? What possible reason is there to NOT traffic calm Main Street?

Mark Richert, Belmar

PS: FORMAL apology: “I Mark Richert, do formally apologize for using big words (over 4 characters) at the Jersey Shore.”

[This letter represents the opinion of its writer and is not representative of any opinion of the Asbury Park Sun staff. All readers are welcome to submit Letters to the Editor to news@asburyparksun.com for our consideration. For guidelines on letter-writing and submission, click here.]

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