Bus in front of me on Main Street, A. Park, Sept. 21, 2016, was purchased by Bruce Springsteen for the A. Park Senior Center where the AP seniors can relive their glory days. Blogfinger action photo (taken while stopped at a light just when the light turned green.) © Click to enlarge.
By Paul Goldfinger, Traffic Editor @Blogfinger.net (Re-post from 2016)
Bruce Springsteen has always been generous at the Jersey Shore, especially in Asbury Park where he and other musicians spread their musical wings and found their voices. Bruce just published his memoirs called, what else, “Born to Run.”. It is over 500 pages, but early reviews say that it is a wonderful book, written in a style similar to his music.
This photo was taken in the jaywalking capital of the world—Asbury Park. I don’t know why, but people there love to cross Main Street against the light. Just today I was cut off by a bicyclist who suddenly crossed against the light in front of me, while not even looking to notice whether I would run him over or not. So if you do try to jaywalk in A. Park on Main Street, you’d better be born to run.
My theory about automobile and pedestrian risks in Asbury on Main Street is that the place is too small and too populated for the amount of cars; too many distractions and jaywalkers and buses and taxis and deliveries, and double parking for its own good—especially in season.
Plus, click on the photo to see a driver heading south making a westbound turn onto Third Avenue while about to run over a woman crossing the street. Ironically, they both had green lights indicating that everybody over there needs to pay attention and follow the rules.
I did not notice that drama until I viewed the photo. I was too busy reading the rear end of Cousin Brucie’s bus. So, I was merely following the mandate of some bumper stickers which say, “Watch my behind and not hers!”
If you drive along or through Memorial Drive in Asbury there are all sorts of stop sign issues which can create hazards. The photo below shows an OG car (ours–Eileen driving on 4th Ave.) which was clobbered on 4th Avenue when some jerk ran a stop sign at the intersection with Memorial Drive. She miraculously had minor injuries.
The Asbury driving chaos is out of hand. We have hazards in OG, but we don’t usually have the traffic congestion found in AP mostly all the time. (2020: The turn lanes will help, but Memorial Drive is still a problem)
OG car destroyed on 4th Avenue in AP after a driver breezed through a stop sign on Memorial Drive. Blogfinger photo. ©
BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN “Glory Days.”
Pedestrians walking on the sidewalks in AP put their lives in danger with the bicyclists who just speed race right past them on those very same sidewalks
And in some cases actually knock pedestrians down and just keep going
It might just be a good plan for bicyclists to have a street lane all to themselves
To keep our sidewalks safe…
I was almost t-boned heading south on Memorial Drive . A few weeks later I understood why. The stop signs on the cross streets are EAST of the railroad tracks. So while you technically have a stop sign, you stop before the tracks and proceed, believing you have the right-a-way. Clearly someone with some common sense needs to revisit this traffic signage.
Wasn’t there a story recently about a DOT plan to cut Main Street down to 2 traffic lanes only with bike lanes each way? Won’t that be fun.
Born to Ride