STATEMENT TO

SENATE, No. 179

with Senate Floor Amendments

(Proposed By Senators Rice and Girgenti)

ADOPTED: FEBRUARY 5, 1996

      Senate Bill No. 179 would permit a muncipality or county, by ordinance or resolution as appropriate, to designate reasonable and safe speed limits and erect stop signs on streets under its jurisdiction, without the prior approval of the Commissioner of Transportation.

      Under these Senate amendments, the Commissioner of Transportation at his discretion may overturn the provisions of the ordinance or resolution if, within 90 days, he reviews it and finds its provisions to be inconsistent with the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices for Streets or Highways or inconsistent with accepted engineering standards, not based on the results of an accurate traffic and engineering survey, or finds it places an undue traffic burden or impact on streets in an adjoining municipality or negatively affects the flow of traffic on the State highway system. The amendments also permit the muncipality or county to erect signs designating pedestrian crossing areas subject to the commissioner's review as set forth above.

      These amendments also conform the bill to the provisions of the recently enacted P.L.1995, c.412.