WEST ORANGE, NJ — During its Wednesday, Dec. 19, meeting at the Hall of Records in Newark, the Essex County Board of Chosen Freeholders unanimously approved a resolution consenting to the reduction of the speed limit on Pleasant Valley Way within the vicinity of West Orange High School and Kelly Elementary School. This resolution coincides with the town’s adopted ordinance passed October 16, reducing the speed limit from 30 mph to 25 mph.
Pleasant Valley Way, also known as County Route 636, is a high traffic arterial roadway under Essex County jurisdiction. The street stretches from open areas with little to no foot traffic, in the vicinity of Turtle Back Zoo and South Mountain Reservation, to a mixed residential, retail and concentrated pedestrian environment that ends at the intersection of Bloomfield Avenue in Verona. With West Orange High School and Kelly Elementary school at the center of this corridor, the Board of Freeholders acted in accordance with the West Orange Town Council in an effort to protect county citizens from the dangers of high speed traffic accidents, while being in compliance with School Speed Zone limits.
“In light of the recent string of pedestrian accident fatalities throughout Essex County, the Board of Freeholders is prepared to enact any and all measures that can be taken to protect our citizens, especially children and young people, from the dangers of traffic accidents,” Freeholder President Brendan W. Gill said in a press release. “Working with Mayor Parisi was a great experience. We will continue to keep lines of communication open on improving safety in our communities.”
“Road safety is one of the most important roles any township faces,” Mayor Robert Parisi said in the release. “The decreased speed limit will give both motorists and pedestrians the opportunity to see each other and reduce accidents.”
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