The speed limit on Rosedale Road has been reduced to 35 miles per hour, following the approval of an ordinance by the Mercer County Board of County Commissioners.
The County Commissioners adopted the ordinance dropping the speed limit at its March 23 meeting. The new speed limit took effect April 12.
Rosedale Road is a county road. The new speed limit applies to Rosedale Road, between Elm Road and Province Line Road in Princeton. It does not apply to Rosedale Road in Lawrence Township.
The speed limit ranged from 25 miles per hour near Elm Road to 40 miles per hour around General Johnson Drive, which is the entrance to the Johnson Park School. It was 45 miles per hour from General Johnson Drive to Province Line Road.
The speed limit when passing through the school zone for the Johnson Park School is unchanged. It is 25 miles per hour when the school zone signs are in operation during recess, and when children are arriving or leaving school.
The reduction to 35 miles per hour was suggested by consultant Traffic Planning and Design, Inc., which was hired by Mercer County.
The consultant was asked to study Rosedale Road in response to safety concerns voiced by Princeton residents. The residents were concerned about the safety of pedestrians and bicyclists. They sought to protect children who cross Rosedale Road on the way to the Johnson Park School.
The calls for a reduction in the speed limit intensified after an elderly man was killed in August 2021 as he crossed Rosedale Road near General Johnson Drive.
The man had activated the pedestrian crossing light and was crossing Rosedale Road when he was struck by a car whose driver allegedly did not slow down, according to reports.
The consultant, who had been hired by Mercer County prior to the August 2021 pedestrian fatality, also suggested installing a roundabout at the intersection of Rosedale Road and General Johnson Drive. A roundabout is a small diameter traffic circle.
Last summer, Mercer County officials installed the roundabout in the middle of the intersection at Rosedale Road and General Johnson Drive. It opened in September 2022.
Princeton officials had requested a traffic signal at that intersection, but it was determined it did not meet the minimum requirements to install a traffic signal.
