Essex Junction adopts new traffic‑calming policy replacing 70% petition rule with scored process

The Essex Junction City Council approved a revised traffic‑calming policy on Dec. 17 that replaces the prior 70% household petition threshold with a staff‑led scoring system meant to prioritize high‑need locations while preserving a measure of local support.

Staff explained the new approach centers on a technical score that counts crash history, street functional class, land uses (for example, walking routes to schools or proximity to senior housing) and public support from proximate residents and local stakeholders. The previous policy required 70% of households on a given street to sign a petition — a threshold staff said was a significant barrier that reduced requests. As staff summarized, “there needs to be 70%… of households on a street need to sign and support,” a requirement the new draft removes and replaces with a scoring and public‑input element.

Councilors asked how streets such as West Street would be treated and whether the scoring treats cut‑through streets differently; staff pointed to a functional‑class map and said the policy includes a note allowing local reclassification for policy purposes. Staff also said South Burlington’s model (a five‑signature local threshold) is available as a fallback if the council prefers a low signature requirement instead of the public‑input scoring metric.

Outcome and next steps: Council adopted the revised traffic‑calming manual unanimously. Staff will proceed to implement the scoring process, coordinate with the police and public works on speed‑study logistics, and pursue community outreach; the council can later swap in a 5‑signature threshold if it decides to do so.