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Council authorizes stop signs, debates speed-hump petitions and process for traffic controls
Summary
The council adopted ordinances to add stop signs at Gramercy intersections and to install a 25 mph speed limit on a Wisteria Road block; members and staff debated the petition process for speed humps and how state rules about locations near schools affect automatic sign placement.
The Atlantic City Council approved ordinances adding all-way stop controls at specified Gramercy intersections and authorizing a 25 mph speed limit on a block of Wisteria Road, and members used the meeting to debate the city's petition-driven process for speed humps and traffic-calming measures. Councilmembers and city staff explained that some stop signs were installed as part of a street reconstruction project and that state guidance allows a simplified installation process for intersections within 1,000 feet of a school, playground or community center. Council members questioned why residents’ petitions for speed humps on Wisteria had not resulted in the preferred remedy and sought clarity on how and when the city notifies petitioners if their requested traffic control cannot be installed. City staff said each petition is investigated and that field studies and police traffic reports are used to make recommendations. For work inside a street-reconstruction project area, engineers working on the project can perform studies and recommendations more quickly; outside those project areas, the city follows a formal review and study process. Staff said where speed humps are not approved, a lower-impact alternative such as posted speed-limit signs is sometimes recommended; for the Wisteria petition the field recommendation was a 25 mph speed-limit sign rather than speed humps. What the council did: Ordinance 9d (stop signs at Gramercy/Madison and Gramercy/Michigan) was adopted with a recorded vote in the affirmative; Ordinance 9e (25 mph on Wisteria Road from Filbert to Crossen) was also advanced and recorded. Councilmembers said they will consider amending notification procedures to ensure petitioners receive formal notice of staff decisions and the reasons for those decisions. Why it matters: Residents petitioning for traffic calming expect timely feedback and safety outcomes. Council members pressed for clarity and timely notice to petitioners and said they will review whether the ordinance or administrative procedures should explicitly require written notification when a request is denied or modified.
