Seaside Park Plans to Return Street to One-Way Status

Second Avenue, Seaside Park, N.J., Feb. 2024. (Photo: Shorebeat)

A street in Seaside Park would become a one-way road again as part of an ordinance introduced by the borough council.

Responding to requests from residents, council members voted unanimously to make Second Avenue a one-way street between Central Avenue (Route 35) and the Ocean Avenue. Traffic would move west (ocean-toward-bay) on the street, which had been a one-way road before having been changed by a previous council.

Mayor John Peterson and current council say they don’t know why the borough’s former leaders changed the narrow street to allow two-way traffic, but residents have consistently asked for it to be changed back.

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“The issue entails what had been commented-upon by members of the public about the street being narrow and potentially hazardous during the summer months,” said Peterson.

Residents have reported their cars being side-swiped and having had their mirrors lopped off, as well as other types of damage. In some cases, two vehicles cannot fit down the street at one time, forcing one vehicle to either back up or temporarily pull into a resident’s driveway in order to let the other pass.

“Everybody that we had talked to there brought it up as something they wanted us to look at immediately,” said Councilman Joseph Connor. “They asked us, pleaded with us, practically begged us to make it a one-way street again.”

Second Avenue, Seaside Park, N.J., Feb. 2024. (Photo: Shorebeat)

Some residents had asked that the street be changed to one-way status just for the summer months, however the council decided against a seasonal schedule due to safety concerns.

“That might be dangerous if someone is used to a specific traffic pattern and it changes at the start of the summer,” said Peterson.

The ordinance was introduced Feb. 15. It is subject to a public hearing and second vote at the council’s next meeting before final adoption.