A driver was issued a summons this morning for allegedly holding up traffic to pick up a hitchhiker, TLS has learned. The driver was pulled over in the Forest Avenue areaand was issued a summons for inappropriately picking up a passenger in the roadway, and causing a traffic hazard.
The statue (title :39) provides that they have to be in the roadway in order to be in violation of the law. Standing on the sidewalk or on the curb is permitted.
According to the above law, the proper way to pick up a hitchhiker – should you deem safe to do so, is by pulling off the roadway and into a safe spot, where the hitchhiker should be waiting in the first place.
Standing in the roadway is a danger for both hitchhikers and motorists. TLS-MK.
About time. I’m all for giving the next guy a ride but when you block traffic your just making a hazard for everyone
The fault is mostly on the hitch hikers for standing in dangerous places in the first place like on the corner of 7th and Princeton
I feel bad for the lady that got the ticket. She was only trying to do a chesed, however even chesed has to be done properly. I myself just took my son to yeshiva and picked up another boy on the way. I pulled over to the shoulder to pick him up. When I came to his yeshiva ( a different one than my sons) he tells me that I don’t have to pull in but just drop him off on the road. I told him that since there is no shoulder, I can’t stop and I pulled in to the driveway and let him off. Its not only the law but its also about being a mentch.
The hitchhiker mustv’e felt pretty stupido…
I am sorry for the summons, but too often people stop in the middle of the road. Sometimes, people do this after crossing an intersection so that a car behind them trying to cross cannot cross the intersection safely.
This is anecdotal and hearsay, but when I was Shabbos Mashgiach in the yeshiva lunchroom, I heard young men talking about stopping in the middle a North Jersey highway causing a car behind them to crash. They were under the impression that some occupants did not survive. Albeit, people in Lakewood might anticipate someone stopping in the middle of the road, it is still dangerous, especially on County Line Road.
It’s not a mitzvah to pick up when you are causing traffic behind you to stop
I myself give rides whenever I can. I’m all for doing a chesed and giving someone a ride as long as it is safe and not on the cheshbon of other people. Someone that does not understand this is lacking in basic mentchlichkeit.
#2 who said it was a lady? it says driver
the hitchhiker should also get a summons!
Its time to designate specific safe areas around town for hitchhikers to stand where there is room for cars to pull over safely in order to pick them up.
I see this all the time, day and night, I was always told hitchiking was illegal. That being said I dont think anyone should be hitching a ride, it is dangerous for the person hitching, the person picking the hitcher and other drivers who have to slam on the brakes to stop when one stops short to pick someoone up….just my opinion
Thank you lkwd police, i know its a mitzvah to pick up people, but not when u swerve to quicly pick s/o up, hold up traffic and inconvenience people behind you. let em kids walk, todays generation is getting fatter and fatter, let them burn some fat-yeh-even if its a little chilly outside, thank u lkwr police.
Its just plain outright common sense! And Its a Mitzvah Habah B’Aveira to hold up traffic or put others in danger while you are picking up a hitchhicker!
forest ave. & squa.rd,,,is the #1worst areas………..sometime i feel like im behind a school bus..lol
They do that all the time in Lakewood. It is very dangerous. A lot of young boys are always hitchhiking. They stand in the road because they were too late and missed their bus. If they were out on time then they would not miss their bus and would not need to hitchhike.
maybe if people would be more nice and pick hitchers up then they wont stand in middle of the street!!! will an extra 2 min of ur time make such a difference to do a mitzva???
We as bochurim that miss the bus & want to get to yeshiva on time have every right to hitch, and why when you and I mean you!!!! & the people who look away and make believe you don’t see us and dont stop why is that right, you are making us miss learning so why not stop.Is 2 minutes out of your way going to kill you? So just grow up and give us rides
Forest and Sqankum?!?!
the hitchers on drake road are the worst….its an extremely narrow road with barely enough room for 2 cars to pass at same time, with no shoulder, and the boys are standing in groups on BOTH sides of the road!!
number 16 !!
EXCUSE ME!!!!
A. If you want to be on time to yeshiva get up on time .
B. Please don’t blame other for your not learning.
C. my time is just as valuable as yours and you are causing me to be late when you stand in the middle of the road hitching
D. it is ILLEGAL to hitch!
E.
There is absolutely NO excuse to. stop for hitchhikers anywhere in the roadway!!! It is dangerous for the pedestrian, the driver and for vehicles following behind!!! Please stop on your own without having to receive a summons.
Why do we see so many young ladies WALKING to and from school, while the bochurilm have to hitch. I know it’s not tziusdig for girls to hitch, but obviously the alternative to walk is fine for them.. WHy is it not an alternative for a boy who can’t arrange a ride?!?
What a chutzpah, #16! If you are irresponsible and can’t be on time, the loss of learining is on your cheshbon and your cheshbon only. (Maybe if you’re young, it’s on your parent’s cheshbon to get you to Yeshiva. But it’ is not anyone else’s responsibility!)
#16: A bachur with internet access? Sounds like the type that misses buses. Hey, you’re not learning now, and instead browsing the web. Also, if you don’t mind speaking to your hanhala and requesting some much needed english education, you would do all readers of your posts quite a favor.
Sorry guys I’m not trying to blame you for bochurim not learning b/c you don’t give rides. Im just trying to say that you shouldn’t just look away
Buy a bike – it is healthy and no gas. Takes care of all problems.
To those who say it is a mitzva to pick up a hitchhiker:
Really? Which one of the Taryag mitzvos states “Thou shalt block traffic for miles and pick up lazy hitchhikers who woke up late; thou shalt put many lives in danger and flaunt the local laws of your benevolent host country; so sayeth your G-d who redeemed your forefather from the land of evil Egypt.”
There is no such Mitzvah, thank you very much.
But there is an aveirah – “Though shalt not murder”, which includes picking up hitchhikers in the middle of the street.
wow a lot of poskim follow tls and post comments!
I am glad so many people here acknowledge that stopping for hitchhikers in the middle of the road is both dangerous and inconsiderate. Too bad so many still do it.
Guys… A bus is available. Get on it. Hitchiking can be a bad move.
I live in Monsey NY, and we face the same problem X 1000. I support the people who oppose hitchiking big time. We have to face reality, the group supporting hitchiking, are the one’s not driving vs. the drivers which in general know the problems in which they are in. Everyone has to know that STOPPING IN MIDDLE OF A ROAD IS DANGEROUS!!!!!!!!, and this is the reason why there is such a law baning it.
#15 and #16, It’s against NJ law to hitchhike or to pick one up.
Don’t do the crime if you can’t handle the fine!
Just think , if LPD got on all the cases of jaywalkers, drivers who blow stop signs, pass on the right, don’t stop for pedestrians and gab on cell phones as well as not having their kids belted in, the tax rate would be zero. But then, this is Lakewood………
to oldmansfury says:
thank you for posting factual information instead of some of the rediculous things that others did
I see the boys every morning on Central Ave every morning on the way to work…police do nothing> One of these days they will get in the car with some nut…too little too late.Shame of the parents who allow their child to hitch