Mayor Asks Bergen County to Reduce Speed Limit

Due to the deer over-population and an army of cyclists that travels on the narrow county roads within Saddle River, NJ – Mayor Al Kurpis is seeking lower speed limits from the Bergen County Department of Planning and Engineering.

Mayor Al Kurpis has cited numerous accidents on the main county roads going thru Saddle River NJ as the reason for the request of raising the speed limits. But to get that the Bergen County Dept. Planning and Engineering needs to agree to it. But after conducting a survey in 2016 they indicated based on their results, they will not approve a speed limit reduction.

The Bergen County survey did not specifically address the issues of the deer population within the area which causes many car on deer accidents. Mayor Kurpis believes the County does not adequately input all the factors for the speed limit reduction request including a booming deer population, no sidewalks or curbs in town, and the increase use of Saddle River’s roads from cyclists. In addition, Saddle River is a conduit from the busy highway of Route 17 to the many businesses in Montvale NJ, which leads to many commuters who are operating at speeds at or above the current speed limits. “People do not obey speed limits when they’re late for work”, said Mayor Al Kurpis.

Town Engineer Martin Spence has sent a letter to the County Engineer indicating in 2014 alone there was 16 accidents on Saddle River’s county roads where speed may have been a factor. 8 of the incidents involved vehicles hitting deer or animals.

Unless the County changes its mind, another alternative may be to educate/warn the general public about the dangers of the current speed limit use on the county roads. Councilman Ben Acaster has mentioned the Saddle River Police Department’s ownership of speed detection equipment as a possible solution.