TRENTON, N.J. Towns would be required to consider factors including whether there are sidewalks or nearby schools when setting speed limits on local streets, under a bill endorsed on Feb. 9 by the state Senate Transportation Committee. “This bill will allow municipal officials greater discretion in establishing reasonable and safe speed limits for the streets within their municipality,” said the sponsor, Sen. Robert W. Singer, R-Burlington, Mercer, Monmouth and Ocean counties. Other factors include the density of housing, or whether parks, child care centers or senior communities are in the area. A 1999 law gave towns more freedom to set speed limits, but this bill broadens the standards a town can consider, Singer said. Singer, a former mayor of Lakewood, said the criteria would be a “useful tool” for local officials. Singer said the bill, which he first introduced in 2004, was not inspired by his driving record. In 2001, Singer struck and killed a man who pulled out from a driveway into the path of the senator’s vehicle. Police found no wrongdoing on Singer’s part in that accident. Last year, Singer struck and injured a 74-year-old woman who was walking to buy cigarettes. The bill passed the Senate 40-0 in 2004, but was not voted on by the Assembly, so it expired and was reintroduced. The measure now awaits possible action by the full Senate.