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Allen Road Safety in Bernards, Explained: The Public Comment, the Mayor's Statement and the County's Road
What the township record shows after a resident died from being struck in an Allen Road crosswalk in October 2025: 17 public-comment entries at four Committee meetings, the Mayor's January statement on engineering studies, the township's safety steps in 2026, the county's role on CR 652 and the reported tort claims.
The short version
- A resident died after being struck in an Allen Road crosswalk. Patch reported on Nov. 7, 2025, citing authorities, that a Basking Ridge resident was struck on Oct. 31, 2025 while crossing Allen Road in a marked crosswalk. She died 14 days later, according to a tort claim notice Patch described on Jan. 21, 2026. The Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office investigated; Patch reported no charges or summonses as of Nov. 7.
- Residents spoke 17 times at four Township Committee meetings, Nov. 11, 2025 to Jan. 13, 2026.
- Allen Road is a county road (CR 652). The Mayor said on Jan. 6, 2026 that county and township engineering studies were under way, with outcomes expected “within the next few months.” No result appears in the Committee minutes through Oct. 13, 2026.
- The county lists Allen Road for its 2027 resurfacing program.
Whose road it is
Somerset County’s list of county routes gives CR 652 Allen Road from the Bedminster Township line to Martinsville–Liberty Corner Road (CR 525). Engineering changes on a county road (crosswalks, signals, speed limits, lane design) are made by the county. TAPinto reported on Nov. 10, 2025 that township officials said design changes on Allen Road would require coordination with county engineers.
The township’s statement in early November, as Patch quoted it: “Over the last few days, the Township has heard from many residents expressing their concerns about Allen Road”; it was in contact with Somerset County and the County Engineering Department, and “an engineering review will commence upon the conclusion of the still ongoing police investigation.” LocalWhy has not reviewed the statement on the township’s site.
Public comment, by meeting
The Committee’s minutes list each speaker with name, address and a few words of subject. For Allen Road they record only that speakers “commented on the Allen Rd incident” (one added prayers for the family). What each speaker asked for is on the township’s meeting video, which LocalWhy has not transcribed.
| Meeting | Entries on Allen Road | Other speakers that night |
|---|---|---|
| Nov. 11, 2025 | 8 | 2 (Lord Stirling School resolution) |
| Nov. 25, 2025 | 4 | 1 |
| Dec. 9, 2025 | 2 | 3 (one on “safety education of Hills residents”) |
| Jan. 13, 2026 | 3 | 0 |
Twelve different residents made the 17 entries; several spoke at more than one meeting. No Allen Road comment is recorded at any Committee meeting after Jan. 13, 2026. Patch reported on Nov. 7, 2025 that a resident’s change.org petition to address traffic and safety on Allen Road had close to 1,000 signatures; LocalWhy has not read the petition page.
What the Mayor said on Jan. 6, 2026
At the reorganization meeting Mayor Ana Duarte McCarthy said that in October residents had shared their concerns about public safety on Allen Road after a township resident was struck by a car and died of her injuries. As the minutes record her remarks:
- “Allen Road is among the most enforced for traffic safety in the Township.”
- She and Committeeman Andrew McNally serve on the police subcommittee “and are in communication with residents, county and staff alike regarding this priority.”
- “The county and township are proceeding with several engineering studies and will anticipate outcomes within the next few months to inform and guide next steps.”
- The township was exploring “partnering with RideWise Inc., to provide education in our community.” RideWise, which leads programs for Somerset County on pedestrian safety, transit, biking and ridesharing, “is grant funded, and the services they provide are free to municipalities.”
The 2026 Police Subcommittee is the Mayor and Committeeman McNally, with Administrator Monaco (Jan. 6 minutes).
Township steps in the record since then
| Date | Action | Vote |
|---|---|---|
| Dec. 23, 2025 | Res. #2025-0444: an electronic message trailer (Stalker MC360), up to $19,501 from a public-health grant, bought on the Police Department’s recommendation. The resolution does not mention Allen Road. | 5-0 |
| March 10, 2026 | Res. #2026-0200: 2026 general traffic engineering services, Bright View Engineering, up to $30,000. Purpose not tied to Allen Road in the text. | 4-0 (Tompkins absent) |
| April 14, 2026 | Res. #2026-0219: a Speed Sentry borrowing agreement with RideWise Inc. “to enhance traffic safety and collect vehicle speed data through the temporary use of a Speed Sentry radar display device.” RideWise installs, monitors, collects the data and maintains it. Location not stated. | 4-0 (Hodges, McNally, Tompkins, Duarte McCarthy; Asay absent) |
| June 2026 | Township press release (via Patch): a “Street Smart Safety Campaign” survey with RideWise on awareness of pedestrian, bicycle and driving laws, and a RideWise event June 15 at Harry Dunham Park. | — |
| Oct. 13, 2026 | Ord. #2606: no stopping or standing on Peachtree Road and Woodstone Road on school days, 8:00–9:30 a.m. and 2:30–4:00 p.m. | 5-0 |
The engineering studies the Mayor described do not appear as a contract, report or result in the Committee minutes through Oct. 13, 2026. The minutes print staff and Committee reports only as a one-line summary, so any oral update would be on the meeting video.
The county’s 2027 resurfacing program
Somerset County’s page for its 2027 Road Resurfacing & ADA Compliance Program lists “CR 652 Allen Road/Schley Mountain Road in Bernards/Bedminster from Schley Mountain Road/Route 287 to Martinsville Road” among the county roadways “anticipated to be paved.” The page does not say whether crossing or safety changes are part of that work.
Earlier history (press)
Patch reported on Nov. 7, 2025 that a pedestrian died in October 2016 after being struck crossing Liberty Ridge Road at Allen Road, and that a county pedestrian-safety and speed study of Allen Road followed; that in 2022 the county sought residents’ input on the Allen Road–Somerville Road intersection and proposed a roundabout there, which the Township Committee opposed; and that speed-feedback signs and a flashing crosswalk at the shopping-center entrance were added. TAPinto reported on Nov. 10, 2025 that the county-led pedestrian-safety and vehicle-speed study was conducted in 2022.
Tort claim notices (press reports)
Patch reported on Jan. 21, 2026 that two notices of claim under the Tort Claims Act, one on behalf of the estate and one individually, name Bernards Township, Somerset County, the State of New Jersey and the driver, and that the notice seeks $5 million. A New Jersey Hills Media headline reports a $30 million demand against the township and others. The two figures are set side by side here; LocalWhy has not seen the notices, and no lawsuit has been found. A notice of claim is a required step before a suit against a public entity; it is not itself a lawsuit.
Patch reported that at the Jan. 13, 2026 meeting the Township Attorney mentioned the notices and advised the Committee not to comment further on the crash. The Jan. 13 minutes list the attorney as present but do not summarize the remark.
What is not known
- What the county and township engineering studies found, and whether the county has proposed changes on Allen Road beyond the 2027 resurfacing.
- Where the RideWise speed display was placed and what data it collected.
- What each resident asked for at public comment (recorded only on video).
- Whether a lawsuit has followed the notices.
What residents can do
- Speak at public comment at any Township Committee meeting (the next are Nov. 10 and Nov. 24, 2026).
- Write to Somerset County’s Engineering Division about CR 652; the county decides changes on its roads.
- Watch the meeting videos on the township’s YouTube channel for what was said on each night above.