The Township Council is investigating the possibility of adding multi-way stop signs to several Montclair intersections.
The multi-way signs would be the first such intersections in Montclair. According to Township Manager Joseph Hartnett, most of the resident queries to town hall are requests for multi-way stops.
In the past, adding such intersections required extensive review by the N.J. Department of Transportation (NJDOT). Though the NJDOT continues to require state approval of most stop sign installations, municipalities no longer need to consult the state before adding stop signs to intersections within 500 feet of a school, playground, or youth recreational facility.
At the council’s Oct. 7 meeting, Township Engineer Kimberli Craft recommended that only intersections within these "special areas" be considered for multi-way stops. Though her written recommendation did not list any specific intersections, she told the council there are several "hot spots" that top her list of crossings in need of traffic control.
Her list includes Cedar Avenue and High Street; Chestnut Street near Montclair High School; Lorraine and Norwood avenues; and Lorraine Avenue and Park Street.
Craft’s "hot spot" intersections include public schools only, she said, adding that there is a fair argument to be made that private elementary and middle schools should be included, too.
The council was advised to add multi-stop intersections "very sparingly." Once residents start seeing them added, Hartnett said he expects there would be a high demand for the intersections.
"People are going to want them at every corner," Hartnett said.
According to Mayor Jerry Fried, the council had asked Craft for a full report on traffic controls and traffic-calming measures being considered by the municipality.
"We’re tying to do something systematic and townwide," Fried said. "We wanted to know what was in the hopper."
Though Fried stressed that Craft’s report is just the first step toward evaluating where to add multi-way stops, he said the council was not surprised by the specific locations Craft mentioned, so he would not be surprised if the council took action soon.
Though Craft only recommended multi-stop intersections at crossings near schools and youth recreational facilities, she said she is not totally opposed to adding them elsewhere if the intersections are dangerous enough to warrant them.
