Gurbir S. Grewal, New Jersey attorney general, speaks at Seton Hall University School of Law in February 2018

New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir Grewal's office has spoken out against locals-only driving restrictions enacted in the towns of Leonia and Weehawken, but that might not be enough to stop the controversial traffic-taming practice.

A lawyer who sued Leonia over its restrictions on nonresident motorists filed an order to show cause on May 4, asking the town to stop enforcing its law in light of an opinion from the Attorney General's Office declaring Town Ordinance 2018-5 invalid. But the town's mayor has said in published accounts that Leonia did not agree with the state's contention that the restrictions it imposed lie outside the authority of a municipality.

In January, Leonia posted red signs warning nonresidents to stay off of roughly 60 secondary streets in the town, lest they face a $200 fine. The restrictions are only in effect at certain hours of the day. Residents of the town were issued yellow hanging tags for their cars, so police can differentiate between locals and outsiders. The law was enacted to cut down on traffic, especially from drivers seeking shortcuts to the George Washington Bridge who are directed onto secondary streets by navigation applications such as Waze. Fort Lee attorney Jacqueline Rosa, who is self-represented, filed a suit Jan. 30 to have the Leonia ordinance deemed invalid.