SENATE, No. 179

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel

PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 1996 SESSION

By Senators RICE and GIRGENTI

An Act concerning municipal traffic control and amending R.S.39:4-8.

    Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

    1. R.S.39:4-8 is amended to read as follows:

    39:4-8. a. Except as otherwise provided in this section, no ordinance or resolution concerning, regulating or governing traffic or traffic conditions, adopted or enacted by any board or body having jurisdiction over highways, shall be of any force or effect unless the same is approved by the Commissioner of Transportation, according to law. The commissioner shall not be required to approve any such ordinance, resolution or regulation, unless, after investigation by him, the same shall appear to be in the interest of safety and the expedition of traffic on the public highways.

    b. In the case of [totally self-contained] streets under municipal jurisdiction [which have no direct connection with any street in any other municipality], the municipality may, by ordinance, without the approval of the Commissioner of Transportation, designate reasonable and safe speed limits and erect appropriate signs and designate any intersection as a stop or yield intersection and erect appropriate signs, provided that the municipal engineer shall, under his seal as a licensed professional engineer, certify to the municipal governing body that any designation or erection of signs: (1) has been approved by him after investigation by him of the circumstances, (2) appears to him to be in the interest of safety and the expedition of traffic on the public highways and (3) conforms to the current standards prescribed by the Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices for Streets and Highways, as adopted by the Commissioner of Transportation.

    A certified copy of the adopted ordinance shall be transmitted by the clerk of the municipality to the commissioner within 30 days of adoption, together with a copy of the engineer's certification; a statement of the reasons for the engineer's decision; detailed information as to the location of streets, intersections and signs affected by any designation or erection of signs; and traffic count, accident and speed sampling data, when appropriate.

    Nothing in this subsection shall allow municipalities to designate any intersection with any highway under State or county jurisdiction as a stop or yield intersection.

    c. Subject to the provisions of R.S.39:4-138, in the case of any street under municipal or county jurisdiction, a municipality or county may, without the approval of the Commissioner of Transportation, do the following:

    By ordinance or resolution:  

    (1) prohibit general parking;

    (2) designate restricted parking under section 1 of P.L.1977, c.309 (C.39:4-197.6);

    (3) designate time limit parking; and

    (4) install parking meters.

    By ordinance, resolution or regulation:  

    (1) designate loading and unloading zones and taxi stands;

    (2) approve street closings for periods up to 48 continuous hours; and

    (3) designate restricted parking under section 1 of P.L.1977, c.202 (C.39:4-197.5).

    Nothing in this subsection shall allow municipalities or counties to establish angle parking or to reinstate or add parking on any street, or approve the closure of streets for more than 48 continuous hours, without the approval of the Commissioner of Transportation.

(cf: P.L.1993, c.122, s.1)

    2. This act shall take effect on the first day of the third month following enactment.

STATEMENT

    This bill would permit a municipality, by ordinance, to designate reasonable and safe speed limits and erect stop signs on streets under its jurisdiction, without the prior approval of the State Commissioner of Transportation. The municipal engineer would be required to certify that the proposed sign would serve the interests of safety and conform to standards prescribed by the Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices for Streets and Highways. A copy of the adopted ordinance, the engineer's certification and supporting data would have to be submitted to the Commissioner of Transportation. Under current law, a municipality may erect a stop sign without State approval only on a street totally self-contained within the municipality.

Permits municipality to erect certain stop signs without State approval.