The Circulation Plan is the element of the master plan covering streets, sidewalks, paths, bikeways and public transportation facilities. The overall purpose of this element is to help guide and coordinate Borough policies relating to these facilities.
Mountain Lakes is a community whose road layout and development pattern were established before the dominance of the automobile on American life. As a result, the Borough's streets and transportation facilities reflect, and to a great extent, influence a Borough character that is more pedestrian oriented than is typical of most modern American suburban communities designed to accommodate the automobile. The perpetuation of this distinction is and should be of great importance and concern to the Borough.
In order to rationally address public policy affecting circulation and transportation, it is important to have an understanding of the dynamics of change in our area. Following are some of the major events relating to circulation planning leading up to this point.
The following are the major circulation-related objectives that should be pursued by Borough officials and policies.
The Borough has jurisdiction over all roads in the community except for Route 46, a State highway, and the Boulevard, a County road. The Borough police supervise traffic on all streets in Mountain Lakes including State and County roads. Following is a description of the major existing modes of transportation in the Borough and, where appropriate, proposals for improvements.
There are about 28 miles of two-lane paved streets within the Borough, about 26 of which are Borough-owned. There are 2.2 miles of County-owned roads in the Borough (the Boulevard) and 1.5 State-owned (Route 46). Local Borough-owned streets for the most part have a pavement width of 16 to 20 feet and a right-of-way width of 30 to 50 feet. The two widest and most heavily traveled roads in the Borough are the Boulevard (a County-owned and maintained roadway) and Route 46 (owned and maintained by the New Jersey Department of Transportation). Recent traffic counts of selected roadways by the County indicate a leveling off of the trend of increasing traffic on many Borough roads. However, traffic remains at levels higher than those which the roadways were originally designed to accommodate. In addition, much of this traffic results from commuters having no origin or destination in Mountain Lakes avoiding congestion on major roadways such as Route 46, I-80 and I-287.
Boulevard - Of all the roads in Mountain Lakes, the Boulevard is perhaps the most important to the Borough and its character because it is in many ways the "Main Street" of the community. The Boulevard is an approximate 30 foot wide, two lane road lying within a Morris County right of way, and identified as County Road 618. The right of way is 60 feet wide from the intersection with Route 46 to near North Crane Road, and then widens to a width of 80 feet from Crane Rd to Tower Hill Rd. From Tower Hill Rd to Powerville Rd the right of way is 115 feet. From Powerville Rd to Fanny Rd it reverts back to 80 feet. In addition to the improved roadway, a pedestrian walking path lies within the County right of way. Although it functions as a connection between Mountain Lakes and Boonton Township, its location at the center of this community makes maintaining its traditional design, scale and character very important. To this end, the County and Boonton Township should be urged to pursue policies that limit the increase in traffic on the Boulevard, especially for heavy truck traffic for which it was not designed.
Route 46 - Route 46 is the largest and most heavily used road in Mountain Lakes. A four-lane divided highway, it has a right-of-way width that varies from 100 to 180 feet. Borough traffic makes up only a very small percentage of the total of this major regional roadway. Traffic congestion during peak periods on Route 46 has had an unfortunate spill-over effect of increasing traffic on local Borough streets resulting from commuters avoiding the congestion. Major improvements to 46 to reduce congestion would only have a short term benefit because they would stimulate further development to the west. This in turn would ultimately worsen the spill-over of traffic onto local streets. For this reason, NJDOT plans should be carefully monitored by the Borough and widening should not be supported. More modest improvements to Route 46 that further objectives of safety and improved circulation, however, should be supported.
A new traffic light has been placed by the New Jersey Department of Transportation at the intersection of Peartree Road with Route 46. The purpose of the light is to provide an alternative to the median cuts which were closed for safety reasons.
Midvale Road - This road has become one of the major thruways in town due to residential and cut-through traffic. Speed bumps and a three-way stop have been placed at Midvale and Crescent, which has served to reduce and slow traffic.
Fanny Road - Fanny Road, although owned by Boonton, is an important access route for cars to and from Mountain Lakes. It is also heavily used by bicyclists and pedestrians. Curves on Fanny require caution at least in part because of the presence of bicyclists and pedestrians. Improvements to the roadway, however, would result in it becoming a major thoroughfare, a result that should not be supported. Repairs to the railroad overpass bridge on the municipal border with Parsippany have been completed and include sidewalks for pedestrians. There is concern that recent and planned new development will continue to increase traffic volume at the 4-way intersection of Fanny Road and Morris Avenue.
All Streets - Borough streets and intersections are generally safe and adequate for the amount of traffic they handle now and for the foreseeable future. Street upgrades and maintenance are now on a routine schedule, the curvilinear design of many Borough streets dates from the original plan for the community. It discourages speeding, an increasingly severe problem in many communities. Speeding, however, is an important concern requiring the effort and vigilance of the Borough police. Parking of large vehicles on the narrow streets, particularly landscaping trucks and trailers, presents a significant safety concern.
Vehicular and pedestrian safety must be an important public policy concern for the Borough. The Borough police are in a position to be aware of safety problems. Reports from them and other sources about safety issues should be carefully considered and evaluated on a case by case basis.
The Borough has a network of paths and sidewalks which link neighborhoods, schools, lake areas, sports activities, the Midvale Market area and other public and private destinations, including the sidewalks on Powerville Road built in 2008. This network includes a variety of pedestrian/bike pathways differing in width, surface improvement, ownership and types of usage. They range from informal paths, traditionally used by children, to sidewalks used by all ages. A map of these paths has been created by the former Trails Committee to inform residents. The increasing prevalence of Lyme disease, and poison ivy creates the need for more emphasis by the Borough on trimming and controlling underbrush along pathways. Sidewalk upgrades and maintenance are now on a routine schedule.
Bus - There are limited public transportation options for travelers and commuters to and from the Borough. Bus service by the Lakeland Bus Company, with regular stops on the Boulevard (with a small Park and Ride lot) and on Route 46, links the Borough to New York City. The Borough is located in the county wide Morris Area Paratransit System (MAPS). MAPS is a transportation service funded by the State casino tax and the Board of Freeholders providing transportation for employment, medical and social services, day care, shopping, recreational, nutritional, and educational purposes to senior citizens and disabled residents.
Rail- The Boonton commuter rail line is operated by New Jersey Transit with a station stop (the old station building is no longer used in connection with the line). The Boonton line currently connects with Dover to the west and New York City via Newark to the east.
Listed below are transportation related proposals and recommendations for the Borough.
The maintenance of Borough roads and curbs are on a schedule and have shown notable improvement over the last decade. The schedule has made it possible to assure that needed work is done in a logical and timely way and makes capital budgeting more systematic and predictable. The Borough should continue to assure that proper sight distances are maintained at intersections, especially by the proper trimming of shrubbery.
The Land Use Plan Element of this Master Plan has recommended the long term goal of enhancing the role of the Midvale Market area as a community center for the Borough. Mixed use zoning has been recommended as part of that planning. Any such rezoning, however, must carefully consider the traffic implications on the surrounding residential areas.
In support of the goal of enhancing this area's role as a community center, pedestrian safety and access improvements as well as vehicular parking improvements are needed. The following improvements are recommended to be considered by the Borough Council with the advice of the Borough Engineer.
The Borough's extensive system of pathways (informal paths and trails, formal sidewalks and bikeways) is one of the important attributes that sets Mountain Lakes apart from most other communities. The importance of this path system to the quality of life in the Mountain Lakes community can be measured in a number of ways. First, it creates a community infrastructure that elevates the importance of pedestrians in relation to the automobile. Second, the path system supports a healthier environment for children, families and citizens of all ages, providing healthy and safe options for activity and recreation. Third, it is an important integrating influence, enhancing a sense of community by linking neighbors and neighborhoods.
For these reasons, it is important that the pathway system be maintained and improved where possible and appropriate. Where connections can be made to improve accessibility to the system in areas not currently connected, they should be made. In particular, any new residential developments should be connected to the system.
A pedestrian/bikeway has been part of the bridge repair/replacement over the rail line on Fanny Road at the municipal boundary with Parsippany. A pathway from this point to the YMCA should be pursued with Boonton. This pathway will provide a safe alternative for pedestrians along a heavily traveled roadway and will connect the residential neighborhood on the Park Place tract to the rest of the community.
The Highway Access Management Code was enacted to maintain the traffic carrying capacity of New Jersey's state highway system by more strictly regulating access to state highways in connection with any new development/redevelopment. This objective should be fully supported by the Borough.
Two aspects of the Code will, in particular, have a direct impact on local planning on Route 46. One is a regulatory system that in essence limits the amount of development that can occur on property whose access is to the state highway. Under the Code, the NJ Department of Transportation can limit development based on a formula factoring frontage and projected traffic (from the proposed development), even if local zoning would permit more development. This new layer of regulatory requirements should be kept in mind in the planning of any development along the highway.
Another important aspect of the Code that will have a direct local impact is the requirement in the Municipal Land Use Law that "The zoning ordinance shall provide for the regulation of land adjacent to State highways in conformity with the State highway access management code....." In compliance with this requirement, amendments to the Borough Land Use Ordinances should be made where appropriate.
Mountain Lakes is a compact and essentially fully developed community whose layout and pattern of development strongly reflect an era that predates the dominance of the automobile. An important part of this pattern forming the essential character of the community is its narrow and curvilinear road design. The continuation of road policies that call for narrow and curvilinear road design consistent with the existing pattern should be strongly supported.
Consistent with this policy, alternatives to double access requirements for larger new developments should be supported where possible. These should include emergency access ways that are not fully paved and are less destructive and impacting than a full road improvement.