[Adopted 6-21-2010 by Ord. No. 1893]
A. 
The purpose of this article is to provide guidance and objectivity in the evaluation and selection of roadways for the installation of speed humps. Prior to the approval and installation of speed humps, the Borough shall authorize a traffic study of the impacted area. Where appropriate, other temporary traffic-calming measures should be considered and/or implemented prior to the installation of speed humps.
B. 
A "speed hump" shall be defined as a raised area of pavement intended to control vehicular speed in conformity with New Jersey law, Title 39 of the Revised Statutes and New Jersey Department of Transportation and the design specifications therein, including the engineering specifications for maximum height, profile and minimum and maximum length. Speed humps include speed tables, cushions and lumps.
C. 
Requests for speed humps shall be in writing or submitted to an available Borough website form to the attention of the Borough Clerk. The Borough Clerk shall provide a copy of the request to the Traffic Safety Division of the Police Department, the Chief of Police and the Chairman of the Public Safety Committee. The general nature of the concern causing the request shall be stated. Such reasons may include, but are not limited to, excessive speeding or "cut through traffic". Speed hump request evaluations will be handled in the order in which they are received. Requests for speed humps that do not meet the minimum requirements as established by New Jersey Statute shall be rejected, but the area affected may be considered for other traffic-calming devices. Streets approved for installation of speed humps shall be placed on an approved list subject to funding and Council approval.
A request will only qualify for consideration if the following criteria are met:
A. 
The roadway must be a Borough-owned and -maintained street.
B. 
A resident petition must describe the conditions to be remediated. The petition should include resident signatures supporting the application.
C. 
Seventy percent of the households listed within the project area must support the installation of speed humps. The Borough Engineer shall determine the project or impact area.
D. 
The roadway must be a two-lane residential or one-way residential street with a posted speed limit of 30 miles per hour or less.
E. 
The street must be in reasonably good condition as determined by the Borough Engineer in his or her sole discretion or be incorporated as part of a roadway resurfacing project.
F. 
Dead end streets and culs-de-sac shall not be considered for speed humps.
All requests that meet the initial eligibility criteria will be formally evaluated as listed below:
A. 
After determination of the impact or project area as defined by the Borough Engineer, the applicant shall provide notice to all residents within such area advising of the request and the right of any resident to object by providing written notice of objection to the attention of the Borough Clerk within 10 days of the receipt of notice of the request. Notice to residents shall be by certified mail, return receipt requested. Applicants must submit proof of notice by providing the Borough Clerk with receipts from each resident within the impact or project area, or proof of mailing and failure of a resident to accept notice.
B. 
Formal traffic study by the Traffic Safety Unit of the South Plainfield Police Department.
C. 
Determination of the 85th percentile speed as determined by a speed survey over a minimum twenty-four-hour period.
D. 
Daily traffic counts as determined by a traffic study exceed 350 vehicles per day, but not to exceed 3,000 vehicles per day.
E. 
After the evaluation of the Traffic Safety Unit, the request shall proceed to the Chiefs of Police, EMS and Fire Department. The Chiefs shall provide written comments that will be attached to the request and will be made available to the Borough Traffic Safety Advisory Committee to consider in their assessment.
F. 
Upon the completion of the Traffic Safety Unit's evaluation and the comment phase by the Chiefs of Police, EMS and Fire Department, the Borough Traffic Safety Advisory Committee shall review the request and study and provide written comments to the Public Safety Committee of the Borough Council.
G. 
Concerns raised by the Chiefs of Police, EMS and Fire Department, as well as those raised by the Traffic Safety Advisory Committee will be presented to the Public Safety Committee.
H. 
Requests approved by a majority of the Public Safety Committee will be presented to the Borough Council for approval.
I. 
After the Council has had sufficient time to review the request and comments, the Council shall vote on the request. If the request receives approval of the Council, it shall pass to the prioritization phase.
A. 
The installation of speed humps will be prioritized on a Borough-wide basis. Projects shall be prioritized based upon the following factors as a result of the formal evaluation:
(1) 
Date of approved evaluation.
(2) 
Comparison of the operating speed or the 85th percentile speed to the statutory speed limit.
(3) 
Daily traffic count average.
(4) 
Accident history.
(5) 
Proximity to schools, parks, playgrounds or other facilities with high numbers of children, bicycle or pedestrian use.
B. 
Lower prioritized, but less costly projects may be implemented ahead of higher prioritized items if funding levels do not allow the installation of higher prioritized projects.
Speed hump layout and design will be determined by the Borough Engineer. All construction shall conform to the New Jersey Department of Transportation technical standards in place at the time of installation. Generally, speed humps should have a maximum profile of three inches with a maximum twenty-two-foot-long base. The distance between speed humps shall be at the discretion of the Borough Engineer and within the requirements of the NJDOT. All signage and pavement markings shall conform to the Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices for Streets and Highways.
The process for requests to remove speed humps will follow the same procedure used to evaluate the installation of speed humps. Absent any design faults or unforeseen issues that result in unsafe conditions, the cost of removal shall be borne by the property owners via local assessment. In the case of design fault or unforeseen issues, the Borough will bear the full responsibility of the cost of removal.
The Borough Council may authorize the installation of temporary speed humps without following the aforementioned article.