A sleepy little borough in New Jersey is taking bold steps to curb its traffic problems.
Leonia has a population of around 9,200 people and it doesn’t seem like traffic would be much of a problem in such a small town. However, it’s a major issue as a number of commuters cut through the borough to get onto the George Washington Bridge on their way to New York.
In order to combat the problem, the town wants to ban people from who don’t live or work in Leonia from using its roads. According to NJ.com, the borough would issue a yellow tag to hang from your rearview mirror and motorists without the tag driving in Leonia during rush hour – between 6-10 a.m. and 4-9 p.m. – would face fines of up to $200.
While banning the public from using public roads sounds outrageous, Leonia’s mayor told the publication the ordinance has been “thoroughly” researched and he believes the “ordinances we passed are legal and would withstand any potential legal challenge.” Unsurprisingly, not everyone agrees and the deputy legal director of ACLU-NJ said “People who are traveling safely down the street should not be subject to law enforcement. It’s intrusive” and “it’s hard to imagine that Leonia could enforce this in a way that didn’t discriminate.”
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