As a longtime resident of Lakewood, traffic issues are not a new concern for me. What does seem to be a lot more recent, however, is how often roadwork is scheduled to take place smack in middle of heavy traffic hours.
While I’ve kept my mouth firmly shut for a long time to be a “good citizen” and placing my trust in our elected officials, the posts on the Lakewood Alerts WhatsApp status have pushed me to finally open up.
Unless the work being done is an emergency, there is zero excuse for roadwork to be scheduled at times that will cause undue hardship to hundreds, if not thousands, of Lakewood residents.
The video you posted this morning (video below) of work being done at the intersection of Route 9 and Main Street was nothing short of appalling. I didn’t pass by there, but your video clearly shows that the workers weren’t even working on the street – they were doing work on the sidewalk! Why on Earth was a lane on the 9 shut??? Do we not have enough traffic to deal with as it is?
On Monday, you published an article pointing a finger at Lakewood Police Officer Alex Guzman, who is supposedly the point man in making decisions over when these roadwork projects will be performed and when lanes can be shut. I’m not familiar with him or what his responsibilities are, but from my understanding, this has to go well beyond him.
As residents, we have elected officials who are supposed to answer questions when we have them. The most powerful of our local elected officials sit on the Township Committee. And yet they are the only government organization in town – and across the entire New Jersey! – that is still holding Covid-like meetings over Zoom! Half the time, the Committeemen don’t even have the decency to turn their cameras on, and when questions are asked, there’s usually no response.
The only person talking on most of these meetings is Mayor Ray Coles, but even he won’t answer questions, like why the meetings are being held remotely and not in a hybrid fashion – assuming he’s being honest that more residents participate when it’s on video (it’s not true, and everyone knows it).
We can point fingers at Officer Guzman, and it might be correct to do so, but the problems go much, much deeper than him. Our top elected officials refuse to face the public, and until that changes, they will continue to wreak havoc in Lakewood until they’re voted out. All we want as residents is sanity, and that’s what we are being provided.
Signed,
Frustrated and Fed Up
The views expressed in this letter do not necessarily reflect those of Lakewood Alerts. Have an opinion you would like to see published? Send them in for review to Info@LakewoodAlerts.com
Editor’s Note: The below videos were not included in this letter, but were posted earlier Tuesday on the Lakewood Alerts status and groups.
Maybe yell at the overdevelopment which is the main root of our traffic.
I think it is time to start an email blitz- anytime you are sitting in traffic use your time productively!!
send an email to rcoles@lakewoodnj.gov and just write: “i just wanted to let you know that i am currently sitting traffic. Thank you very much for pandering to the developers and selling out this town and its residents.”
Or write something else, just keep it clean but just make sure to send one every time you sit in traffic!!