The Jersey City news., 1906-06-09

|
to cross this ferry to Perth Amboy The
ferry company should allow these boats
to take all the automobiles they cam I
have been kept waiting here two or three
| hours on account of crowd of automo-
biles ahead of me- The crew usually
comes back and tell US that we can hire
the boat for $5 or $40 to go across I
have seen them try to collect $5 or $40
| from each of the waiting automobiles.
| This is not fair or just; it discourages
auto touring. These boats should run
! whenever there is reasonable load in
| addition to the scheduled time, and a
reasonable fee should be charged for any
on to charter the boat
There is bridge between Perth Ann
boy and South Amboy that is nearly
completed. This has been in its present
condition for the past three years.
Governor Stokes. who is the cham
pion of every good improvement in the
State of New Jersey, including good
roads, signed the bill for the appropria-
ton of the funds needed to complete this
bridge. All troubles and differences We're
thus settled, he supposed, by this State
appropriation. Now Governor Stokes
writes me that some property owner has
fled protest with the War Department
to make further delays and further trou-
BILE, and has put the matter entirely out
of the hands of the Governor and Con-
gresham Howell and Senator Strong, of
Middlesex, who have been indefatigably
pushing the work of this bridge, until
the War Department acts. Could we
not all join in asking the War Depart
ment to Immediately look into the ques-
tions involved, and render an immediate
decision?
1T now remains for the people who
are interested in automobiles, and the
people who are interested in improving
the road between New York, Long
Branch, Lakewood and Atlantic City, in
having this bridge completed at once, for
at present we have to go from Perth Am
boy to New Brunswick and back to
| South Amboy, distance of some thirty
| three miles, while, with this bridge COM
| pleted the distance would be less than
| one-fourth of mile, and over an hour
| would be taken off the trip between New
| York and ong Branch. l.
| In order to make shorter the route and
make a direct route to Lakewood and
Atlantic City, a short road between Cliff
ford and Matawan must be improved
and made into turnpike. This will short
| en- the route five miles, and just beyond
! Freehold at a village called Turkey a
road now in existence between Turkey
| via Southard to Lakewood, must be i'm
| proved and turned into a turnpike. This
| will shorten Ine route some eight miles.
| Were the above points properly complet-
| ed, the route to Lakewood will be short
| ened one ana vne-half hours at least, if
| not more.
Now, to those who do not care to go
by way of the Staten Island ferry, the
road between Jersey City over the mead
| ows to Newark must be improved. To
do this we should all appeal to the May
ors of these two cities.
| AT present we have two routes, both
of which are too terrible for words. The
| distance between Jersey City and New
| ark is, say, eleven miles. No automobile
can go over the present route in an hour
with safety. Besides that, very few dc
| go over the route that do not have pune
tured tires; it seems to be the abiding
place of old nails, many of them coming
up through the rotten plank road.
'sThe road between Railway and Perth
Amboy, that leads through Avenel and
Woodbridge, distance of about ten
miles, should be put in better shape. No
one likes to ride in fear of his life that
some Jersey cop is going to pull him in
for fast driving. The speed limit is
twenty miles; some villages make Free
holders laws which are absurd, and nc
Oue huOWS uulll SOIue White WQlSkefeU
cop takes you in.
Then, again, there should be distinct
sign boards and fingers showing the way
for the road sare so good it is hard to
tell which is your turnpike, and the old
signboards are either washed OF rotted
out
ITO give an idea of the amount of
travel between New York and Atlantic
City, on Saturday last, through stormy
day, over the Toms River bridge alone
13Oautomobiles came from New York on
the route to Atlantic City If the roads
were in good condition, as they are in
France, in my opinion there would have
been 500 to 1000 automobiles instead OF
13O, and predict, in another year, if
these improvements / have suggested are
completed, the returns TO the State of
New Jersey from inerstate travel will be
five times increased.
Il would also suggest that part of the
road between Point Pleasant and Lake
wood be increased in width. This is the
road which, understand, was built hall
by the generosity of George Gould anG
one-half by the county. The increasing
| width of this road would he of very