Another plan for Route 70
By ROBERT LINNEHAN
Cherry Hill Sun
11/1/2007

Citizens’ group believes it has a safer plan for roadway

Cherry Hill Citizens for a Safer Route 70 unveiled a plan Monday night it feels is markedly safer then the $200 million plan Mayor Bernie Platt’s citizen task force presented this past summer.

Cherry Hill residents and township Council members have been discussing for the past several months what to do with the busy roadway that snakes its way through the township.

Susanne Bromke, chair of the 24-member committee that researched and devised the plan, showcased the plan to members of Council and about 50 residents who came out for the meeting last week.

“We want to make this road safer for everyone, especially our children, who walk to school or cross the road to visit friends, and for senior citizens to go to the store, and for people to walk to church and visit friends,” she said in a press release. “The committee members and many Cherry Hill residents are very opposed to Cherry Hill Mayor Bernie Platt’s $200 million plan.”

The group urged the township Council to call a special meeting in the near future so Cherry Hill residents could share their opinions on Route 70’s future.

The committee has also requested meetings with Gov. Corzine and Department of Transportation Commissioner Kris Kolluri to discuss the plan.

The main recommendation of the committee’s 73-page report calls for no additional lanes on the busy roadway and for keeping Route 70 consistent with Cherry Hill’s 2003 master plan.

The task force’s plan calls for widening parts of Route 70 into a six-lane roadway to alleviate the current congestion problems that have plagued the road for several years.

“Mayor Platt’s plan would make Route 70 into an uncrossable, six-lane freeway, and essentially eight lanes wide through Erlton and other neighborhoods in Cherry Hill, much like Admiral Wilson Boulevard in Camden,” Bromke said. “The mayor’s plan even says that adding more lanes would make it so dangerous that we would probably have to build pedestrian bridges to cross it.”

The citizen group calls for preserving Route 70 as a mostly two-lane thruway in both directions and for keeping much of the grassy median as possible.

The citizen group also called for:

- Synchronizing red light stops along Route 70 to permit the unimpeded flow of motorists at a 35-mph rate.

- Reduce average speeds and encourage consistent speeds on Route 70 by deploying enhanced speed limit enforcement resources and technology.

- Create a walkable, attractive and safe environment for pedestrians and mass transit users by completing sidewalks and adding safe, signalized crosswalk opportunities for pedestrians near retail, commercial and civic centers.

- Restoring left turns at intersections on Kings Highway, Haddonfield Road and Springdale Road are also included in the plan.

“The committee’s safer Route 70 plan is grounded in research studies and focuses on making the highway safer for pedestrians, cyclists and bus commuters as well as motorists,” Bromke said.

Members of township Council listened to the task force’s plan and thanked the 24-members of the committee for their hard work.

Councilwoman Maryln Kalitan threw her support behind the committee’s plan and said she was against the task force’s plan when it was shown to her this past summer.

Adding more lanes, shortening the width of the lanes and the shoulders is not the answer for Route 70, she said.

“I’d just like to thank everyone for all of their hard work,” she said to the committee. “It’s an absolutely phenomenal plan. You have my full support.”

Councilman Steve Polansky also thanked the committee members for their hard work and dedication to Cherry Hill, but reminded everyone at the meeting that Route 70 is a state highway, not a municipal roadway.

“We don’t decide what happens on a state highway in our municipality; the state has the final say,” he said. “But it’s critical that every point of view is shared with the state. I commend this task force. I think it’s important your group, the Route 70 Task force and anyone interested in this issue keep it at the forefront and stay active.”

Council President Frank Falcone thanked the task force for their comprehensive plan and said both sides only wanted what was best for Cherry Hill.

Keeping the township’s residents safe, he said, was the common goal both the Council and task force shared with the Route 70 project.

Platt did not comment after the presentation of the plan, but did issue a statement following the Council meeting.

“The township continues to be concerned with the effect and impact changes that Route 70 will have on specific neighborhoods, but we also recognize neighborhood concerns need to be balanced in the context of Route 70 being a critical regional state roadway,” he said.

“I am still awaiting a copy of the report from the Cherry Hill Citizens for a Safer Route 70 Committee. When I am presented with the documents, I will review them.”

For a copy of the committee’s plan for Route 70, interested readers can visit the Web site www.groups.google.com/group/safer70.