Pender County toll booth back for Independence Day travelers
PENDER COUNTY, NC (WWAY) — When one Pender County community got fed up with cars tearing up their private road, they took matters into their own hands, setting up a make-shift toll booth for drivers looking to take a shortcut to Surf City. Now they’re back at it ahead of Independence Day.
The community that made national headlines for charging a toll on Memorial Day Weekend is getting ready for the next big round of holiday traffic.
“You use our road, you have to pay a toll or you have to live here. Point blank,” said A.J. Albertson, a resident of Cedar Landing.
“During the holidays especially, July 4th being a main one, we just have hundreds and hundreds of cars that come streaming through here,” he said.
Albertson says people use Cedar Avenue as a shortcut to Surf City. And because it is a private road, the additional wear and tear costs the residents money.
“They’re tearing the roads up. And we’re the ones that’s having to pay for it.”
Sally Waddell, who volunteers at the makeshift toll booth, says the additional traffic and speeding cars create concerns that go beyond the cost of road repairs.
“It’s actually become a safety hazard. We have grandchildren that like to play ball in the front yard,” said Waddell.
Volunteers like Waddell and Albertson hand out fliers to drivers, which show how many cars traveled on the road last year, and list contact information for law enforcement and elected officials.
Waddell hopes if enough people reach out, the state will take over responsibility of the road.
“We’re not out here to make money on the situation. You know, I’ve always felt that the squeaky wheel gets some grease,” said Waddell.
She says she thinks people are beginning to take notice.
“It was ugly on Memorial weekend, and so far today I’ve only had one individual that used some pretty colorful words,” she said.
Albertson says one thing is for sure, working together toward a common goal in the hot sun is bringing the community together.
“I’ve met my neighbors out here that I’ve never known. And I can tell you this is a great bunch of people out here.”
