We are residents who live on or near Bilby Road and are drivers who frequently use Bilby Road. We are writing to bring your urgent attention to serious and ongoing safety hazards on this road that put pedestrians, cyclists, and drivers at risk. This road is heavily used by daily traffic, including heavy and extra heavy truck and tractor trailers going to construction and industrial sites on Bilby Road and Willow Grove St. In addition, it often serves as a detour whenever there are issues on Route 80 which cause even more vehicles to utilize this road. The continued development of new apartment complexes such as Liberty Apartments and Vermella in Hackettstown have only added to the traffic that is now seen on a daily basis, thus increasing the risk of serious collision. 

There are several concerns that must be addressed:

Excessive Speeding and Shoulder Driving
Bilby Rd has become a high-speed thoroughfare, with many drivers treating the paved shoulder as an additional travel lane rather than a breakdown area. This is especially dangerous because there is no sidewalk along the road. Pedestrians, including children walking to/from nearby homes or bus stops, are forced to walk on the narrow shoulder or grass, often directly next to vehicles that maintain excessive speeds or fail to maintain their lanes. In particular, shoulder driving is most prevalent from Princeton Drive up to the intersection with Woodmont Drive. After Woodmont Drive, many drivers continue to utilize the shoulder as a travel lane into the right turn lane onto 517 North.

Severe Road Edge Deterioration
The eastbound side of the road, just prior to Princeton Drive, shows signs of significant scour, deep ruts, and drop-offs immediately adjacent to the pavement. These hazards make it nearly impossible for drivers to safely pull over or for pedestrians to walk without risk of tripping, falling, or being forced into traffic. The drop-offs are steep enough in places to damage vehicles or cause loss of control, thus leading to an increased hazard.

Poor Sightlines
Both aforementioned issues are exacerbated by the fact that some roads, such as Woodmont Dr and Bryant Dr, feature poor sightlines for drivers pulling onto Bilby Road. If a driver misjudges this, or someone comes speeding around the blind corner, there is a high risk of a collision occurring.

These conditions are not only inconvenient, but they are also life threatening. With no sidewalk, no speed enforcement, crumbling edges, and poor road geometry, it is only a matter of time before a serious injury or fatality occurs. 

We, the signatories of this petition, respectfully request that action be taken to address and mitigate these concerns. Some of the suggestions that we would like to make include:

1. Reduction of the road's speed limit to 35mph.
2. Immediate installation of speed limit signage, “Your Speed” radar signs, and/or speed bumps to deter speeding.
3. Emergency edge repairs to eliminate ruts and drop-offs.
4. Rumble strips be cut into the shoulder pavement to alert drivers that they have departed the lane of travel.
5. Long-term planning for a sidewalk or multi-use path along Bilby Rd to separate pedestrians from traffic.
6. Increased police patrol during peak hours to enforce speed limits and proper lane usage.

As Independence and neighboring Hackettstown continue to grow, these concerns will only grow over time. We must work together to reach a solution that effectively solves all of these concerns before there is a serious accident that results in severe injury or fatality.

Thank you for your consideration of our concerns regarding the lack of safety on Bilby Road.