New Jersey Senate Bill S1652

New Jersey 2024-2025 Regular Session

• Introduced: 1/9/24
• Refer: 1/9/24

Caption

Requires posted speed limit on certain limited access highways be based on speed at which 85 percent of vehicles are traveling; designated as Speed Limit Sanity Act.

Impact

If enacted, this bill will affect the current framework for determining speed limits on eligible limited access roads by repealing previous statutes that may set arbitrary speed limits. It emphasizes rational decisions based on empirical data, which could lead to adjustments in speed limits that align them more closely with driver behaviors and safety conditions. The law will require regular assessments to be performed at least every ten years to ensure ongoing relevance to traffic patterns, as well as immediate reevaluations following substantial alterations to the highways.

Summary

Senate Bill S1652, known as the Speed Limit Sanity Act, focuses on establishing a scientifically determined and fair approach to setting speed limits on certain limited access highways in New Jersey. The bill mandates that the New Jersey Department of Transportation (DOT), the New Jersey Turnpike Authority (NJTA), and the South Jersey Transportation Authority (SJTA) must conduct traffic engineering speed surveys to establish the speed limit at the 85th percentile speed, which reflects the speed at which 85 percent of vehicles are traveling on these highways. This new limit must round up to the next highest five miles per hour, ensuring it remains reflective of actual driving conditions.

Contention

The bill’s proposal to utilize a traffic engineering study as the basis for setting speed limits may provoke debate about local versus state authority over road regulations. Some advocates may argue that determining speed limits should be contextual and consider local road-specific circumstances that traffic studies might overlook. Critics can express concerns regarding safety, arguing that such a standardized approach could inadvertently lead to increased speeds in areas traditionally governed by lower limits based on community needs.