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Commissioners conditionally approve Bloomfield bus-stop removal, ask for traffic-calming plan
Summary
After public comment warning of safety risks, the board amended and approved a township-requested resolution to remove a Bloomfield bus stop, requiring the township to provide traffic-calming and lighting/crosswalk information for the site before removal proceeds. The amendment passed and the final block vote recorded one "no" on the item.
Essex County commissioners voted to consent to a Bloomfield ordinance seeking to delete and relocate a bus stop on Broad Street near Carroll Place, but only after amending the resolution to require Bloomfield to provide information on traffic-calming measures before removal.
Public commenter Norm Sutera urged the board to "pause that decision, to table that until the county installs traffic safety and traffic calming devices," and presented a BrightView Engineering report recommending signage and speed-reduction markings. Sutera highlighted speed data and said the proposed new stop location near a TD Bank lacks a crosswalk and adequate lighting.
Commissioners expressed shared concern for pedestrian safety and asked county engineers to review potential calming measures. Legal staff proposed and the board adopted an amendment that requires the Township of Bloomfield to provide information about traffic-calming measures (lighting, crosswalks, signage) and to consult with county engineering before the physical move occurs. The amendment passed on a separate roll call.
On the final roll call for resolutions 38 through 49 (which included the amended Resolution 49), the board approved the packet with Commissioner Richardson recorded as voting "no" specifically on item 49, per the record. The county attorney clarified that the county's action is a consent to a township-initiated change; the county does not itself remove bus stops but typically defers to municipal requests while retaining the ability to request mitigation measures.
Next steps: the county will request Bloomfield to produce a traffic-calming plan and keep the board apprised; county engineers offered to review and advise on feasible measures.
