N.J. State Police are issuing more tickets for speeding, careless driving on highways

The end of major construction projects that slowed traffic on the New Jersey Turnpike and Garden State Parkway has been cited to explain why the state police are issuing more speeding and careless driving tickets. This 2012 photo is from Wikimedia Commons.

Editor's note: Drivers who speed, tailgate or weave through slower traffic are a major quality of life issue as the state's roads become increasingly congested, but the problem is ignored by the news media.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

HACKENSACK, N.J. -- You're more likely to be stopped for speeding or careless driving on New Jersey's major toll roads than you were just a few years ago.

Data for 2017 show the New Jersey State Police have begun to reverse a dramatic decline in the number of speeding and careless driving summonses issued on the turnpike and parkway -- the state's busiest roads -- between 2010 and 2015.

Troop D, which patrols the New Jersey Turnpike, issued 9,981 speeding summonses in 2017, compared to 8,861 in 2015, Lt. Ted Schafer, a state police spokesman, said today.

Careless  driving summonses issued on the turnpike totaled 6,234 in 2017, compared to 5,702 in 2015, he said.

Troop E, which patrols the Garden State Parkway, issued 9,021 speeding summonses in 2017 or 3,435 more than the 5,586 issued in 2015.

Careless driving summonses issued on the parkway totaled 5,857 in 2017, compared to 5,610 in 2015.

2010 to 2015

In November 2015, I reported in Eye on The Record that the decline in the number of speeding tickets issued on the turnpike was especially stark -- 9,950 up to that point in 2015, compared to 18,193 in 2010.

On the parkway, 6,543 speeding summonses had been issued in the first 11 months or so of 2015, compared to 9,669 in 2010. See: 

Speeding tickets declined dramatically in 2010-15

At the time, the state police defended their record, explaining their main objective is to reduce the number of fatal accidents on the state's busiest roads.

Fatal accidents on the parkway had dropped to 7 at that point in 2015, compared to 25 in 2010 and 31 in 2005.

On the turnpike, which is used by both cars and big trucks, there had been 19 fatal accidents in 2015, compared to 13 in 2010 and 23 in 2005.

If you must eat fast food, don't be fooled by such words as premium, supreme, best

At the Grover Cleveland Service Area on the New Jersey Turnpike, concessionaire ReFresh & Co. seems to suggest the "premium" meat served there is a cut above the rest, but never actually says it was raised naturally. So, you can assume the beef and chicken were raised on harmful human antibiotics, and the hot dogs were cured and contain nitrates as a preservative.

The I-95 Burger and an Angus Beef Footlong are two of the items available. ReFresh & Co. also operates pizza and salad stands.

-- HACKENSACK, N.J.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

Meaningless phrases like "premium cuts" is the best some fast-food restaurants can do to mask the low quality of the beef and poultry they serve.

At the Grover Cleveland Service Area -- which boasts the New Jersey Turnpike's first new food-service building in many years -- travelers can choose among Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen, ReFresh & Co. and Starbucks Coffee.

Starbucks is the only one where you can find food that is organic or naturally raised or grown. We ordered coffee, and I had a Yogurt Parfait with granola and fresh fruit ($4.80).

We stopped there last Saturday on the way home from a trip to Willow Grove, Pa.

Why worry?

Why should you be concerned whether the fast-food meat and poultry you buy came from an industrial farm?

"Many factory farms use and abuse antibiotics," according to Consumers Union, the policy and action division of Consumer Reports magazine.

"Here is why this is so dangerous: 70 percent of the most important antibiotics -- the ones we need to survive deadly illnesses -- are used on animals instead of people in the U.S.

"Overusing antibiotics accelerates the process of antibiotic resistance. Already, more than 23,000 people die each year from antibiotic-resistant superbugs."

Fried chicken

And when we got back to Hackensack, my wife wanted to try Chicken Supreme on River Street, where she ordered a special of 8 thighs and drumsticks for $8.99 and a large coleslaw for $2.99.

With most meals at Chicken Supreme, you pay about $1.50 per piece -- pricey considering the poultry is nothing special.

Back in 1976, a Greek immigrant bought a fried-chicken restaurant in Paterson called Chicken Unlimited, and changed the name to Chicken Supreme.

Now, without providing any evidence, the company website declares the fried chicken sold at the Paterson and Hackensack restaurants is "the best in New Jersey."

There is no information on whether the chicken was raised with harmful human antibiotics, so you have to assume the worst.

Appeal to KFC

Consumers Union has appealed to KFC restaurants to stop serving fried chicken raised with antibiotics.

"Many fast-food chains have already committed to sourcing antibiotic-free meat. Not KFC.

"If this practice continues, antibiotics will become less and less reliable for saving human lives -- until we face a full-blown epidemiological health crisis."

You can sign a petition to KFC here.

The new food-service building at the Grover Cleveland Service Area in Woodbridge replaced one that was damaged beyond repair by Superstorm Sandy in October 2012. The service area is between turnpike Exits 11 and 12 in the northbound lanes.

New Jersey hoodies are for sale in the gift shop.

The Starbucks franchise is operated by HMS Host, a highway and airport food-service company that is a subsidiary of Italy's Autogrill.

Two features I haven't seen at older food-service buildings on the New Jersey Turnpike are touch-screen ordering, above, and a family bathroom, in addition to separate men's and women's restrooms, below.

In Hackensack, the Chicken Supreme restaurant is at 366 River St.

The booths offer a view of traffic-choked River Street, but the parking lot behind the restaurant is on a scenic stretch of the Hackensack River.