Hackettstown, New Jersey Speed Traps

Police will wait in the Willow Cafe parking lot, just past the hospital, or in the lot in front of the maintenance garage by the American Legion, another 150 yards down the road. Both are on the left side. There is a long slight downhill with a drop from 45 to 35 at the top of the hill. It is very easy to let your speed creep up high enough to get yourself a ticket.

Favorite revenue generator for the Independence Police who only have juridiction over a small one mile strip of Route 517. By the time you speed up to 45 going Southbound on 517 past Mattar’s on the right, you’ll probably be inclined to bump it up to 50 and as the road declines down toward Hackettstown you have now left Allamuchy and are welcomed to Independance by their police cruiser which is tucked into Ridge Lane. Smile and wave but if you are going faster than the 40 mile per hour speed limit, you won’t have to, because they will pull you over at the bottom of Hackettstown hill on 517 to introduce themselves personally.

Hackettstown police typically sit off Cook or Franklin to observe the Sharp Street stops which are to say the least confusing. Along the length of Sharp Street there are painted STOPs on the pavement which seem to require you to stop about ten feet before the intersection. Some stop signs are placed five to ten feet before the mouth of the intersections. This leads to a sceme where you will likely stop before the mouth of the intersection and then because you realize you can’t properly view the oncoming traffic from the intersecting street, you ease foward for a better view and then continue on knowing you obeyed the law because you stopped prior to the intersection. All of the sudden you see the flashing lights behind you and you have just been pulled over for a rolling stop" (California stop – no offense to California). "

This is a longstanding speed trap in Hackettstown. Do not exceed 25 miles per hour here or you WILL be ticketed. Hackettstown police typically sit behind the elevated parking lot by the Cordina Building and have a long range view of activity along Washington all the way up toward intersecting Moore Street. There is a school on this street so beware.

Hackettstown is the worst! They hide all over, especially by the post office and on Grand Avenue.