Open Letter To Route 33 Drivers

There are plenty of roads and intersections in Monmouth & Ocean Counties that boil our blood. Today the spotlight is on Route 33.

So I take a few minutes to vent about a certain small group of drivers who do a certain thing that affects all of us on a road that so many of use use on a regular basis.

I'm talking about the small group of drivers who insist on driving 20 mph on the one lane stretch of Route 33 from the intersection of Route 34 to The Cabin. Guys, do you not see the line of cars behind you? Do you not see the speed limit signs?

I use this road a lot, and yesterday I took this stretch of road yesterday to get from Point Pleasant to Monroe to see my parents. And it happened again. A car about 8 cars up insisted on going as slow as humanly possible, turning a 10 minute ride into a 25 minute test of a driver's patience.

Now, I hesitated talking about this today, since yesterday was Father's Day, and there might have been some drivers unfamiliar with the road out there, but we all know this happens all the time.

So, I will continue. I know you might be saying there are spots on that road where you can pass, but even if that's true, there is just too much traffic most times to do it safely. To me, there is no realistic way to pass on this stretch of roadway.

And let me be clear. I'm not asking people to race through this area. I don't want dangerous and aggressive driving. We see enough of that in this state. I'm just looking for drivers to go the speed that legally keeps things moving along.

It's pretty amazing how often it happens, too. I started feeling the tension about a quarter of a mile before the Collingwood Flea Market, and I wasn't even at the pet store, and I was down to about 15mph, knowing this was going to be a long ride.

So, I did what I always do. I imagined the driver in that car was a  relative of mine, took a breath and dealt with it, hoping all along that car at the front of the parade would turn somewhere...anywhere!

But wouldn't it be nice to get where you're going on that stretch of Route 33 without a blood pressure spike? Yes, we can all be more patient on the road, but that doesn't mean we can't have a pet peeve or two along the way.

Drive safe everyone, and try to stay calm, as difficult as it can be sometimes.