Do You Remember When There Was No Local Traffic In The Winter?

I sometimes shake my head in amazement when it comes to the changes I have witnessed in the near 43 years I have worked at WOBM and I’m not talking about the radio industry but rather where we live and work.

Are you old enough to remember when local traffic was something we really only dealt with from Memorial Day until Labor Day?  I can clearly recall when driving on roads like Route 37, Route 88, Hooper Avenue and even parts of Route 9 you only had to stop when the light turned red.  Now depending on the time of day it make take you 2-3 light changes to even cross where you are trying to go.  Back in the day Route 72 in Manahawkin was like a speedway in the winter and Lacey Road was often empty.

Recently I was waxing nostalgic about how nice it used to be to drive around here in the “off season” as compared to what it’s like now.  The person I was talking with found it humorous that I was complaining about traffic as they moved here from New York City and felt like our roads were a breeze compared what they dealt with on a daily basis.

Growing up in Seaside Heights we were somewhat conditioned that when you woke up the day after Labor Day you had your town back.  For the most part that still exists in many beach towns but once you head inland you quickly realize it’s a very different story.  Check out Hooper Avenue in parts of Toms River and Brick around 5pm on a weekday or try Route 9 through Beachwood, Pine Beach and Berkeley and tell me we don’t have local traffic.  Of course those are just a couple of many rough spots…I’m sure most of you have you own least favorite.