Essex County approves lower speed limits on county roads in Montclair

Published on January 16, 2025

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For Immediate Release
Contact: Adam Tucker, atucker@commissioners.essexcountynj.org, 973-621-4452

Essex County Commissioners Approve Commissioner Brendan Gill's Resolution to Lower Speed Limit on County Roads in Montclair for Pedestrian Safety

(Newark, NJ) – January 16, 2025 – On Wednesday, the Essex County Board of County Commissioners unanimously passed a resolution to approve a lower speed limit on Grove Street in Montclair of 25 MPH. This measure is part of a larger effort to increase pedestrian safety with Montclair’s Vision Zero Task Force, which aims to eliminate all traffic related injuries and deaths in the municipality by 2028.

The resolution consenting to Montclair’s amended traffic ordinance was sponsored by County Commissioner Brendan Gill, a lifelong Montclair resident who has collaborated with citizen efforts in Montclair to improve traffic and pedestrian safety and address hazardous driving speeds.

“I am proud to support my community and colleagues in Montclair making the roads safer for everyone,” said County Commissioner Brendan W. Gill. “Thank you to the residents who made their voices heard on this issue, and to the leaders of Montclair who put it into action. We will continue to explore solutions with our municipal partners to make our neighborhoods safer places to live and raise a family.”

“I am pleased to partner with Brendan Gill and the Board of Commissioners, along with the Township of Montclair, to lower the speed limit on Grove Street in Montclair,” said Essex County Executive Joseph N. DiVincenzo, Jr. “We all share the same goal of making our streets safer for children walking to school, residents going to the store or park, and other motorists on the road. At the County level, we are always making sure our infrastructure – our roads, bridges and intersections – are safe and up to date, and now drivers have to do their part and slow down.”

"There's no higher priority than creating safe and secure streets for our community, and I'm grateful to see Montclair Township and Essex County working seamlessly together towards that goal,” said Montclair Mayor Dr. Renee Baskerville. “Together we have identified Montclair's highest crash intersections, and in addition to reducing speed limits, we are installing bollards and additional solar-powered radar signs in these priority areas. The county and township will continue to work together to ensure proper enforcement and education of these initiatives, which is paramount to street safety."

"The township is grateful for Essex County's critical partnership in approving the lower speed limit on Grove Street, a heavily-trafficked residential County road in Montclair,” said Montclair Deputy Mayor Susan Shin Andersen. “Along with other actions we plan to take such as implementing traffic calming measures, intersection improvements, and education and enforcement, lowering the legal speed limits is an important measure that we believe will improve safety for road users. We look forward to further collaborating with the County officials and staff to accomplish our shared goal of making all our roads safer for all Montclair residents."

The resolution is viewable online. The lower speed limit was previously passed by the Montclair Township Council before Wednesday’s approval by the Board of County Commissioners. As Grove Street (County Route 623) is a county-owned road, Montclair needed the County’s approval to enact an ordinance amending the speed limit. This measure coincides with Governor Phil Murphy signing legislation on January 13 to establish a statewide Target Zero Commission with similar pedestrian safety goals to Montclair’s Vision Zero.