It’s official: westbound vehicles on Harding Road are now barred from making left turns onto Tower Hill Avenue.

Here’s a press release issued Tuesday by Red Bank Police Lt. Darren McConnell of the traffic safety bureau:

Traffic Pattern Change

Motorists will no longer be permitted to make left turns from Harding Road onto Tower Hill Avenue or from Tower Hill Avenue onto Harding Road.

The ordinance was passed by the Red Bank Borough Council several months ago and after being reviewed and approved by Monmouth County and New Jersey DOT, was put into effect.

The purpose of the new traffic pattern was to reduce collisions and reduce the volume of vehicular traffic on residential roadways. Motorists have increasingly been using Tower Hill Avenue in an effort to avoid traffic lights and other delays in the downtown area.

Tower Hill Avenue resident Val DeFazio says he’s disappointed that it took four years, and an $18,000 traffic study, to get the fix in place. He and others also wish the changes included bollards along the center line of Harding to further dissuade motorists from making the left onto their street.

But as of 5:45a today, DeFazio says, he had less trouble getting out of his driveway than usual.

Now, he says, “time will tell” if motorists respect the restriction or feel they can make the turns surreptitiously.

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