Secaucus is seeking to lower the speed limit on Riverside Station Road, the main thoroughfare through the Xchange residential development in Secaucus.
Mayor Michael Gonnelli and the Town Council have introduced an ordinance that would amend the Code of the Town of Secaucus, Chapter 127 “Vehicles and Traffic” to lower the speed limit on that road to 15 miles per hour.
According to the ordinance, the mayor and council recognize that the safety of all motorists, passengers, pedestrians, children, residents and visitors is of utmost importance. The town previously enacted an ordinance to assist in alleviating dangerous situations on the town’s streets, promote safe passage, address traffic flow, and specify penalties for violations
Upon the review and recommendation of the Secaucus Police Department’s Traffic Division, modification of the speed limit on Riverside Station Boulevard Drive to 15 miles per hour is recommended in the interest of public safety in light of the roadway’s purpose, use and traffic volume. The council did not discuss the ordinance at the September 27 meeting when it was introduced.
After the meeting, Town Administrator Gary Jeffas the ordinance would bring everything into compliance for the proper speed limit on that block. Residents may know that there are already 15 miles per hour speed limit signs on Riverside Station Boulevard, but this ordinance was necessary to make it official.
“The speed limit signs were up, but in our formal ordinance, it didn’t say 15 miles per hour,” Jeffas said. “Most residential streets are automatically 25 miles per hour under our ordinance. It was always the intent to have that be the speed limit, but we had to put in our ordinance so that if anyone was ticketed or anything, then our ordinance matches the street signage.”
Updating fees for after hours building inspections
Another ordinance introduced by the council would update the fees for after hours inspections.
According to the ordinance, the mayor and council recognizes that the safety of all residents and the protection of human life, buildings and structures is of great concern. Secaucus addresses inspections and Certificates of Continued Occupancy through the town’s Construction Department in the Town Code, Chapter 64.
Secaucus’ Construction Department conducts Building Code and Certificate of Occupancy inspections in multi-family dwellings in conformance with the state standards in the public interest. Sometimes, the department performs said inspections after regular business hours as needed, and the fees for said inspections are recommended to be updated to cover said costs, according to the ordinance.
Fees for after regular business hour inspections and per diem Construction Code Inspectors would be altered under the proposed ordinance. Building Code Inspections and Habitability Inspections conducted after regular business hours, and the rate of per diem Construction Code Inspectors would be increased to $50 per hour.
The rate is presently $37 an hour. And currently, this only applied to dwellings consisting of four or more units. Otherwise, there are no other changes to that chapter of the Town Code.
While there is another council meeting on October 12, this ordinance and the other will be up for a public hearing and final passage at a meeting later in the month. The next meeting the ordinances may be heard it is on October 25 at 7 p.m. in the council chambers at the Municipal Complex at 1203 Paterson Plank Road.
Go online to secaucusnj.gov for more information. Or go to secaucusnj.gov/government/meeting-documents/2022-mayor-council-meeting-documents/2022-agendas-mayor-council/1035-10-12-2022-mayor-council-meeting-agenda/file to read both ordinances in full.
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