Township Council Meeting — Agenda

TOWNSHIP OF WEST ORANGE 25 LAKESIDE AVENUE, WEST ORANGE, N.J. 07052 DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS ROBERT D. PARISI Tel: (973) 325-4160 Mayor Fax: (973) 669-9588 Email: Engineering@westorange.org LEONARD R. LEPORE Director, Municipal Engineer July 13, 2022 Mayor and Township Council Municipal Building 66 Main Street West Orange, NJ 07052 RE: AMENDMENT TO CHAPTER 7, TRAFFIC SPEED LIMITS, SUBSECTION 7-29.1 MT. PLEASANT AVENUE TO JONES PLACE Mayor Parisi, Council President McCartney and Council Members: I recommend the Speed Limit on Mt. Pleasant Avenue between Prospect Avenue and Jones Place, a section under the jurisdiction of Essex County, be lowered to 25 miles per hour from 40 miles per hour. Earlier this year, Stat Trackers which measure vehicular volumes and vehicular speeds in each direction were placed at four locations along Mt. Pleasant Avenue. Three were placed between Prospect Avenue and Jones Place and the fourth was placed at Greentree Road east of Gregory Avenue. A summary of the results is attached along with the individual reports for each location. A crash survey was also performed along Mt. Pleasant Avenue in the vicinity of the curve located just west or uphill of house No. 237 and at the emergency entrance and exit to Eagle Ridge Villas. That information is also attached for the period February 2015 to December 2021. Based on the speed studies and the crash studies, I recommend lowering the speed limit on Mt. Pleasant Avenue between Prospect Avenue and Jones Place to 25 Miles per hour pursuant to N.J.S.A 39:4-8(b). The 85th percentile speed which is used to establish speed limits average 30.5 mph westbound and 30 mph eastbound for the two trackers placed by the bend in Mt. Pleasant Avenue uphill or west of Jones Place. But with the

sed to establish speed limits average 30.5 mph westbound and 30 mph eastbound for the two trackers placed by the bend in Mt. Pleasant Avenue uphill or west of Jones Place. But with the curve in the road a speed limit of 25 mph is justified, especially when examining crash data. From February 2015 to December 2021, eleven accidents occurred around the bend. Nine of those occurred from October 2018 to December 2021. While speed data is not part of the crash report, speed appears to be a factor in all eleven crashes. A reduction in the speed limit will benefit public safety. Attached is an Ordinance to establish the new speed limit of 25 miles per hour along this section of Mt. Pleasant Avenue. Since Mt. Pleasant Avenue is a County Road, the