Editorial Cartoon by Dan Evans
Commuters have enough problems as it is, but now they are adding potholes to their list of concerns when they bring their vehicles to campus. But this should come as no surprise, as the Transport Research and Innovation Portal (TRIP), reported that “37 percent of New Jersey’s major roads are in poor condition.”
Last week, orange traffic cones covered the hordes of potholes on Clove Road across from the Hawk Crossings apartments. Not only did this action result in a narrower road, but also less-than safe conditions for all who traveled on Clove Road in the following days. Placing cones on the potholes may have alerted drivers to the problem area, but it was nothing more than a temporary solution to a permanent problem, if it can be called that.
Due to the poor conditions of New Jersey roads, TRIP reports that New Jersey motorists paid an extra $632 per year in vehicle repairs and operating costs in 2016. With student debt at an all-time high, the last thing they need is a flat tire repair on top of it. While it may be expensive to make necessary repairs, it is the people who travel on those road everyday who will paying.
Many have contested the university’s ability to solve the pothole problems on the surrounding roads, suggesting that only the town has the ability to make those repair. This senseless debate has stopped many from pursing the matter further. But, the truth of the matter is, regardless of who is responsible for the roadways, they are clearly in desperate need of repair.
The roads surrounding campus are continuing to erode and little is being done to fix it. In the past, the potholes surrounding campus were promptly filled in, but after years of making repairs this way, the road is plastered with “pothole repairs” that are not much different than having the original potholes.
Due to the high percentage of poor roads in New Jersey, the state is among those with the worst roadways. With the roads surrounding campus being such high-volume areas with students, faculty, staff and residents using them every day to commute, these roads need to be monitored more closely for problems.
There needs to be a mindset that the potholes surrounding campus are a permanent problem and they need a permanent solution.
