Facing bumps, jolts and loss of steering, he turns down Tereck Road and toward home.

It's a common occurrence -- and an inconvenience -- according to residents who live on side streets off Weymouth Road from Route 54 to the Hamilton Township border.

With the continual wear on their shocks, tires and wheel alignments, residents of Tereck Road, Kavkaz Place, Don Road and other unpaved side streets say they are seeing their automobile repair bills going through the roof.

"My taxes are going up, but they aren't fixing those roads," said Vic Lopez, a Tereck Road resident. "I don't know why."

The tax hike -- spread out among all township residents -- is due primarily to a jump in school taxes, according to Mayor Chuck Chiarello.

The area in question is rural and has a small population relative to other township neighborhoods, Chiarello added. That means pavement is not likely.

"It's not in the foreseeable future," he said, adding the project isn't in the township's five-year master plan.

The master plan includes proposed projects to improve roads based on length and condition. Population is one criterion.

Since there are only about two homes per side street in the area off Weymouth Road, Chiarello said, it doesn't make sense to apply for Pinelands approval, a key stipulation.

The roads have been improved within Pinelands requirements, though. A few years ago, the roads were completely dirt. Now they have a crushed asphalt base.

"There isn't enough traffic on those roads to warrant the budget to be made for engineering, Pinelands application and pavement," Chiarello said.

Frustrated residents claim to have complained to several members of the Township Committee. Chiarello said he was unaware of such grievances.

Nobody's sure where the issue will go next.

So Kavkaz Place resident Lisa Irrera is bracing for winter. That's when her car often gets stuck on the muddy roadway in front of her house.

She still wants action.

"We don't expect a four-lane highway," Irrera said. "Just some oil and stones."