Plate 29, Circulation Plan, classifies various street functions and shows the proposed street system for the Business Zone south of Route 537.
The bulk of the arterial street system is recommended to remain two lanes wide with shoulders. But these roads are proposed to have sufficient rights-of-way to allow for potential widening should the need arise in the distant future. In the foreseeable future it is not intended that multi-lane roads will be constructed except for those portions of Route 34 and Route 537 approaching the intersection. In the case of the other arterial roads, if the extra width is never used for lane widening purposes, there will be more area for landscaping and the setback of housing. There should also be a strip at least ten toor fifteen feet wide in those rights-of-way, but outside the cartway, as a possible area for footpaths, separate bike paths, and/or the location of underground utilities. A minimum right-of-way of 80 feet is recommended for the primary arterial roads and 66 feet for the secondary arterial roads. Route 34 is expected to require a right-of-way greater than 80 feet and along much of this highway a wider right-of-way already existss is already the case. At intersections along the arterial system, additional width may be required in order to improve highway safety by providing space for separate lanes for left-turning, through, and/or right-turning traffic. All arterial streets should have controlled access in order to improve highway safety by minimizing the number of points where traffic disruption can occur.
Where portions of the arterial road frontage are already developed there may be practical restrictions to moving the development, but providing proper pavement width, channeling traffic, controlling left turn locations and similar features may still be possible in order to improve highway safety and the highway's ability to function. New developments should be designed with the least number of access points to the arterial and collector road system by using reverse frontage design or by having access to either a parallel route or an existing intersecting road. The purposes of the arterial and collector street system is to carry large volumes of traffic, often regional traffic, past a given point at sustained speeds. The number of lanes at intersections, radii, grades and other design features should be sufficient for the speed and volume of traffic anticipated. It is a goal of the Master Plan that by having well designed arterial streets, the 2-lane road system can be retained. It is anticipated that controlling access to the arterial and collector streets will minimize the need to widen the major roads from two lanes to four lanes even though a wider right-of-way has been preserved.
Consistent with the goal of controlling access to arterial streets, the plan for the business area south of Route 537 includes a new internal street system to provide improved access that will accommodate future development implement NJ DOT's Highway Access Management Code for Route 34. As part of that growth, the goal is to make the most efficient use of the available acreage so the business community can be contained within the designated area. The plan also proposes to reduce the number of existing driveways already intersecting Route 34 as part of implementing the Highway Access Management Code program. The end result will increase the opportunities for coordinating the development potential in the area while reducing the number of intersections and directing the major turning movements to a few well designed intersections. The most important road proposal is the improvement of the intersection of Routes 537 and 34 including separate traffic lanes to accommodate different turning movements, a modification of the traffic signal, and the widening of the pavement to accommodate the needed changes.
Collector streets are proposed to have two lanes for moving traffic and two shoulders. At intersections and other more intensely used areas, widened cartways might be necessary to separate traffic functions such as acceleration and deceleration lanes and left and right turn lanes. There should also be a strip ten toor fifteen feet wide outside the paved portion of the road as a possible footpath, separate bike path, and/or the location of underground utilities. A minimum right-of-way of 60 feet is recommended for a primary collector road and 56 feet for a secondary collector road. While 60 feet can accommodate four lanes, it is intended that the roads will remain as 2-lane roads by controlling the number of access points from adjoining developments. The basic function of the collector street system is to collect traffic from various neighborhoods and disburse it to the arterial system. Likewise, it performs the reverse function. As with the arterial street system, collector streets should have controlled access in order to minimize the points of traffic interruption. While traffic on the collector system can be expected to have a different function, e.g. shorter trips, less through traffic, and more local functions, they nevertheless will carry increasing volumes of traffic which will require proper design specifications to assure uncongested traffic flow.
The local street system consists of primary and secondary local streets. Proposed streets are not shown since there are so many alternatives open to each site.
Primary local streets are those streets where access to individual lots along the street can be anticipated but the traffic from surrounding homes will be directed along these routes. A right-of-way of 50 feet is recommended. These roads should include a cartway to handle two lanes of moving traffic. Depending on the design of the frontage development, the roads must be paved wide enough to accommodate parked vehicles on either side and still permit two lanes of moving traffic, e.g. 36 feet. Ten foot strips between the curb and the right-of-way should be established for foot paths and the location of underground utilities. Bike routes can be included either outside a 30 ft cartway, or be a painted lane along one side of the cartway in those instances along one side of the cartway where the pavement width is at least 36 feet wide, painted to separate the bicycle traffic from the automobile traffic.
Secondary local streets consist of the streets serving individual properties. These streets should be 50 feet in right-of-way width with cartway widths based on the type area, building setbacks, off-street parking and similar features. In rural areas, for example, access roads having no frontage lots should be reduced to pavement widths of 24 feet.
This Plan anticipates that improvements along existing roads, whether constructed by a developer or the Township, will be done in accordance with a survey of the existing road system. The full right-of-way is intended to be provided, but full pavement widening, piped stormwater, curbing and similar improvements are to be balanced against the preservation of trees or other scenic or environmental conditions where highway safety and the convenience of the traveling public are not jeopardized.