NJ Town To Fine Drivers $200 For Taking GPS-Guided Shortcuts...

It is interesting that in the highest taxed state in the union they are denying tax payers access to public roads paid for by their taxes.

I don't see how it can be enforced. If a cop stopped me I'd just tell him I was looking for homes for sale because I want to move there. I can see the town requesting the streets removed, but that is between them and the nav companies.

That might work the first couple times you do it but after a while they will stop believing you. I am just not sure what the charge would be. Around here when they want to discourage "short cuts" they put a stop sign at every corner and write tickets for "rolling" them.

snipped-for-privacy@aol.com posted for all of us...

I saw that too. I don't think enforcement will be a high priority. Wait till all the locals get tickets then the hue and cry will be loud.

They had the mayor on TV. He said that was the purpose, to get the nav companies to stop routing out of town traffic down small town streets. Once it's not legal, they will obey the law and stop.

If tax dollars were used to build and maintain the streets then all taxpayers have a right to use the streets.  Otherwise, this sets a precedent so we can all declare our own neighborhoods local traffic only.

yers have a right to use the streets.  Otherwise, this sets a preceden t so we can all declare our own neighborhoods local traffic only.

You act as if this is something new. I've seen plenty of signs that say "lo cal traffic only" or "no through traffic". The local taxpayers are paying for that street, not someone from another county or state.

You may be right but many roads are financed, partly or totally, by state gas tax. If that is the case, you should be able to go in at least one direction.

I can see this in the courts and I don't see it being easy to collect fines unless posted somehow. I can see them asking the GPS people to find better routes though. Navigation does sometimes take you on strange routes because the algorithm finds it to be a few yards shorter or something.

I have had navigation give me strange routes a few times. I turned it on to go to a known location just to see what it would do. In one case, it had me make a left, right, left to go around a small town green about

Another time, instead of staying on the main road to the light and make a left onto another main road to my destination, it had me take a left onto a small street, right, left right, left, zigzag through a residential area. Dumb way to go, but the algorithm probably chose it to have 50 yards of driving and did not consider getting behind the school bus. The mayor is probably correct but if he actually fines people going through town it may not be the best solution. He did get the publicity heed needs though.

I've seen advisory "local traffic only" signs and always ignored them.  I've never been ticketed for using any taxpayer-funded "pseudo-private" streets either.  The New Jersey Chucklehead Police Department is allegedly writing tickets.  BIG DIFFERENCE!

The problem here is that if you can petition to have your publicly-funded street declared "local traffic only" then so can everyone else.  Where does this nonsense end?  Before you know it,  your Garmin won't be able to find a route to Gramma's house on Thanksgiving.