County OKs New Speed Limit For ‘Known Hot Zone’ In Montclair

MONTCLAIR, NJ — The Essex County Board of Commissioners has adopted a resolution to allow the Township of Montclair to limit driving speeds on a section of Upper Mountain Avenue to 25 miles per hour.

Montclair doesn’t have the authority to dictate what the speed limit is on county roads. But over the past year, town officials have been pitching new limits for some busy streets to their peers in Essex County.

According to commissioner Brendan Gill – a Montclair resident – county officials have been listening.

The new speed limit approved by the county will impact a 300-foot section of Upper Mountain Avenue (County Route 620) from Jerome Place to the Little Falls town line.

According to Gill, the change was the result of a review of vehicle speeds and crash histories by Montclair’s municipal engineer, who determined that criteria were met to impose the 25-mph speed limit.

Gill, who serves on the New Jersey Bike Walk Coalition and Montclair’s Vision Zero Task Force, said driving speeds and their impact on traffic safety remain a “major concern” in the township.

“This change in speed limit is an important first step toward improving safety for drivers and pedestrians on a stretch of Upper Mountain Avenue that is a known hot zone,” Gill said.

• See Related: County Official Calls For Change After Car Hits Pedestrian In Montclair
• See Related: Car-Pedestrian Crashes Are Not On The Rise In Montclair, Police Say

Montclair council member Robert Russo thanked Gill, the commissioner board and Essex County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo Jr. for “helping to address this continuing speeding problem by allowing Montclair to reduce speed limits to 25 mph on all county roads.”

“My efforts for the last year have been directed at a reduction of driving speeds to ‘25 to Stay Alive’ on all streets throughout Montclair,” Russo said.

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