The Jersey City Municipal Council voted unanimously to adopt ordinance 25-109, an amendment to vehicle-and-traffic regulations that designates several intersections as multiway stops.

Lede facts: The ordinance was adopted by a 9–0 recorded vote after a public hearing. Residents and community staffers asked the council and department staff to install additional visibility features — including signs, pavement markings and high-visibility treatments — at newly designated intersections, particularly the intersection of Martin Luther King Drive and Myrtle Avenue.

Why it matters: The public hearing highlighted an uncontrolled intersection where residents and family members of people killed in recent traffic incidents have pressed for more durable safety measures, including signals. Proponents said the multiway stop is a compromise after a traffic study showed a signal was not warranted.

What happened at the meeting
Erica Walker, chief of staff to Councilmember Gilmore but speaking as a resident, urged the administration to add extra measures at the Myrtle/MLK location — bright signage, pavement painting and other “bells and whistles” — to ensure the new stop control is visible and effective. Councilmember Gilmore thanked the Department of Infrastructure staff for the long-running work on the issue and expressed personal support, referencing a constituent who had advocated for a signal.

Vote: The council adopted ordinance 25-109 by a 9–0 vote.

Implementation: The Department of Infrastructure was called out in the meeting for follow-up to determine design details and signal warrants; council members asked that additional safety devices be added where the stop control is unfamiliar to drivers.

Ending: The ordinance was adopted unanimously; council members and residents said they would monitor the intersections and press for signalization if future studies warrant a traffic signal.