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Resident asks Perth Amboy council to pursue study and lower speed limit on New Brunswick Avenue after rise in crashes
Summary
A resident and transportation engineer told the council Feb. 11 that New Brunswick Avenue has seen a 50% increase in crashes and urged the city to initiate a study and request help from the Metropolitan Planning Organization and county to lower the speed limit from 30 to 25 mph.
A Perth Amboy resident who identified himself as a transportation engineer urged the City Council on Feb. 11 to pursue a safety study and seek lower speeds on New Brunswick Avenue, a county road, saying the corridor saw the largest rise in crashes in recent planning analysis.
"New Brunswick Avenue has by far the highest amount of increase in accidents than any other key roadway within Perth Amboy by 50%," the resident said, adding that his petition collected more than 20 signatures and that two families in the corridor had experienced fatalities. He urged the city to seek a lower limit from 30 to 25 miles per hour and to pursue available lower-level studies through regional planning authorities.
The resident said funds and lower-level studies may be available through the Metropolitan Planning Organization and other regional transit and transportation planning authorities but noted the city must show interest to pursue such work.
Council members and staff responded that New Brunswick Avenue is a county-owned road and that any regulatory change or formal engineering study typically requires coordination with the county and regional planning agencies. One council member said she had confirmed with a county commissioner (named in the transcript) that the city would need to initiate the request.
Why this matters: residents and a transportation professional raised a specific safety concern with crash data cited at the meeting and asked the council to begin a process that could lead to design changes or lower posted speeds. The request also highlights the limits of municipal authority for county-owned corridors and the need to coordinate funding and technical studies with regional agencies.
Next step: council members suggested following up with county and MPO contacts and indicated they would consider bringing the matter forward for further study or a possible hearing that could include the county and other stakeholders.
