Bill Text: NJ A1936 | 2022-2023 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Increases traffic threshold for local installation of certain speed humps on certain local streets without DOT approval.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 4-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2022-10-17 - Reported out of Assembly Committee, 2nd Reading [A1936 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2022-A1936-Introduced.html
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
220th LEGISLATURE
PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2022 SESSION
Sponsored by:
Assemblywoman LISA SWAIN
District 38 (Bergen and Passaic)
SYNOPSIS
Increases traffic threshold for local installation of certain speed humps on certain local streets without DOT approval.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel.
An Act concerning the installation of speed humps by counties and municipalities on local roadways and amending P.L.2004, c.107.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. Section 2 of P.L.2004, c.107 (C.39:4-8.10) is amended to read as follows:
2. a. Pursuant to the provisions of section 3 of P.L.2004, c.107 (C.39:4-8.11), a municipality or county may, without the approval of the commissioner, construct a speed hump on two-lane residential streets and on one-way residential streets under municipal or county jurisdiction with a posted speed of 30 mph or less and which have fewer than 3,000 vehicles per day, or fewer than 4,000 vehicles per day for any version of a speed hump with a flat top of at least 10 feet, such as a speed table. The board of directors of any corporation, or the board of trustees of any corporation or other institution of a public or semipublic nature not for pecuniary profit, having control over private roads, may construct or provide for the construction of a speed hump on any private road subject to the provisions of Title 39 of the Revised Statutes, pursuant to P.L.1945, c.284 (C.39:5A-1 et seq.).
b. Pursuant to the provisions of section 3 of P.L.2004, c.107 (C.39:4-8.11), a municipality or county may, without the approval of the commissioner, construct traffic calming measures where appropriate, which may include, but are not limited to, speed humps on streets under municipal or county jurisdiction with a posted speed of 30 mph or less and which have fewer than 3,000 vehicles per day, or fewer than 4,000 vehicles per day for any version of a speed hump with a flat top of at least 10 feet, such as a speed table, when any road construction project or repair of a street set forth in this subsection is undertaken and located within 500 feet of that street is a school or any property used for school purposes.
c. Pursuant to the provisions of section 3 of P.L.2004, c.107 (C.39:4-8.11), a municipality or county may, without the approval of the commissioner, construct traffic calming measures in business districts on streets, other than on a street designated as a coastal evacuation route by the Office of Emergency Management in the Division of the State Police, under municipal or county jurisdiction. The traffic calming measure shall comply with specifications provided in the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices for Streets and Highways and any other department rule or regulation governing traffic calming measures. For the purposes of this subsection, "business district" shall have the same meaning as provided in R.S.39:1-1.
d. Prior to a municipality or county constructing a speed hump which places any impact on roadways in an adjoining municipality or county, the governing board or body of the municipality or county shall provide appropriate notice to the adjoining municipality or county.
e. Prior to a municipality or county constructing a speed hump or other traffic calming measure which places any impact on a State roadway, the county or municipality shall obtain the approval of the commissioner.
(cf: P.L.2015, c.3, s.2)
2. This act shall take effect immediately
STATEMENT
This bill increases the daily traffic limit to fewer than 4,000 vehicles per day for speed humps that counties and municipalities may construct without the approval of the Commissioner of Transportation, provided that the speed hump has a flat top of at least 10 feet, such as speed tables, specifically on one-lane and two-lane residential streets under municipal or county jurisdiction, and within 500 feet of a school or property used for school purposes.
Existing law already permits the construction of speed humps on certain streets at a daily traffic count of 3,000 vehicles per day or less. A speed table's longer flat top is a more gradual traffic calming device and may be able to safely accommodate more daily traffic than a speed hump. The Federal Highway Administration safety primer on traffic calming devices notes that South Carolina and Pasadena, California both utilize a maximum daily traffic count of 4,000 vehicles when setting their limitation on the utilization of speed tables.
