Traffic Circle Nightmare

May I please take a moment to complain about the Asbury Circle? Because I really need to vent.

The Asbury Park Circle is a horror.

Our radio station used to be located in the Seaview Square Shopping Center and I would take that circle every day. It never seemed to be too much of a problem to get around it.

Until they revamped it a couple of years ago. Now it feels like you have to put your life on the line to get around it.

I was on the circle at 9:30 last night. There shouldn't even BE any traffic at that time, which is weird in and of itself. But Rt. 35 in both directions was almost as bad as rush hour from Eatontown to Belmar last night at that time.

That *%&$#####!!! Asbury Circle is ridiculous to navigate...and I'm USED to it. For someone that doesn't know what to do since the revamp, GOOD LUCK.

If you're heading down Rt. 35 south getting onto the circle and want to STAY on Rt. 35 south, you have to know in advance to be in the left lane approaching the circle, or you'll have to hope some other driver lets you in at the last second. And now they've put up an additional barrier so that you can't even begin the merge to stay on Rt. 35 south until it's practically too late...at which point it is amazing that there isn't a crash per second from people trying to switch lanes. (Same goes for the poor drivers trying to merge from Rt. 66 onto Rt. 35 north at that circle...they, too, can no longer merge until it's almost too late.

If you're coming from the other direction and are on Rt. 35 north approaching the circle and want to stay on Rt. 35 north, you have only seconds to realize that if you didn't get immediately into the right lane, you CAN'T get onto Rt. 35 north in the left lane...the circle will only allow you to keep going around unless you are brave enough to HOPE someone won't run you down when you try to move over.

What I usually do when there is heavy traffic if I am heading south on Rt. 35 approaching the circle, is get onto Seaview Square Drive and take that around to either Rt. 18 (to avoid the circle entirely and take a different route) or to at least make a left at the light leading onto Rt. 66 heading toward the circle so that I am in the correct lane to continue on Rt. 35 south.

I have lived and driven here most of my life. And although the rules seem different at each circle, and each one has its own terrors, I still don't consider the Manasquan Circle or the Rt. 34 circle near Collingwood Auction, or even the other Rt. 34 circle in Wall near Manasquan as bad as the Asbury Circle. Well...okay, maybe close, especially during rush hour.

Of course part of the problem is that no one wants to slow down enough to LET you merge, or the person in the car behind you is ready to smash into you if you don't leap out into the rush of oncoming cars quickly enough.

Driving in NJ. What a joy. Gee, can't wait for the tourists to arrive for the summer to double the volume on our roads.