Directional Markings to be Applied to Cut Down on Wrong-Way Traffic in Seaside Heights

Seaside Heights has been successful in its request to Ocean County officials asking for additional markings on numerous streets in town that reflect their “one way” status.

Both residents and officials have said in recent months that the number of vehicles turning the wrong way onto one-way streets has increased. It is surmised that drivers are more distracted by electronic devices than in the past, and some residents have said their own GPS units have sometimes not recognized certain streets as being “one way.”

Directional markings indicating a one-way street in Seaside Heights, N.J., Aug. 2023. (Photo: Shorebeat)

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Seaside Heights’ streets are divided between some under municipal jurisdiction and some under county jurisdiction. The municipal streets have dividing lines with arrows indicating that traffic must only flow in one direction, in addition to “Do Not Enter” signs on either side facing the opposite direction of traffic. While the county streets do have signs, there are no markings on the pavement on these streets, and in some cases, the “no turning” signs from north-south thoroughfares like the Boulevard are attached to light stanchions that are located at a higher elevation.

Recently, Mayor Anthony Vaz said Wednesday, he met with County Engineer John Ernst and relayed the concerns.

“He liked our ideas – they’re talking about signage and arrows in the streets,” said Vaz.

In Seaside Heights, Hancock, Fremont, Carteret, Sampson, Barnegat, Dupont, Lincoln, Franklin, Webster and Blaine avenues, plus Bay Terrace and Bayside Terrace are municipally-owned. The remainder are county-owned.. Officials have said in the past that they are considering a pilot program that would see the installation of speed humps on some streets and additional, brightly-painted pavement markings. The county, however, is more open to expanding the directional arrows and signage that currently exists on borough streets.

“There are 12 streets that are ours, and they have the arrows painted on them,” said Vaz. “The county had not done that, so they are going to put in the signs and paint the arrows.”

Vaz said the markings and signage would be installed after the summer season comes to an end.

“They’d like the streets mostly cleared of cars and the rush to be over,” the mayor added.

Directional markings indicating a one-way street in Seaside Heights, N.J., Aug. 2023. (Photo: Shorebeat)

A sign on a one-way street in Seaside Heights, N.J., July 2023. (Photo: Shorebeat)

A sign on a one-way street in Seaside Heights, N.J., July 2023. (Photo: Shorebeat)

A special case is Central Avenue, which will be the beneficiary of a $1.8 million grant-funded project to improve the corridor for traffic and pedestrian safety in the next year.

In addition to a slew of aesthetic improvements, the redesign of the roadway will address a frequent issue of two lanes splitting into four when traffic enters town from Route 35 in Ortley Beach. The width of the roadway encourages higher speeds, and drivers may miss “one way” signs if they are going too fast or if the signs are too far outside their field of vision when traveling straight.

A so-called “road diet” plan would help the situation by converting the four lanes into three lanes – one in each direction, plus a turning lane. The turning lanes can be designed with medians curved in a particular direction so making wrong-way turns would be functionally impossible for drivers.