HOBOKEN LAUNCHES VISION ZERO WEBSITE, INVITES PUBLIC FEEDBACK ON PEDESTRIAN SAFETY
Today, Mayor Ravi S. Bhalla announced the launch of Hoboken’s official Vision Zero project website to facilitate public engagement on pedestrian safety initiatives. The website will create multiple ways for members of the public to participate in Vision Zero, including feedback on areas where pedestrian safety can be improved. The website also includes a “Vision Zero Pledge” to encourage residents to help Hoboken achieve Vision Zero’s goal of eliminating traffic-related injuries and deaths in Hoboken by 2030.
“Hoboken is committed to eliminating all traffic related injuries and fatalities, and our new website will help us solicit public feedback as we work towards this goal,” said Mayor Bhalla. “I invite all residents to fill out the survey and let us know which areas Hoboken should focus on for pedestrian safety improvements, and take the Vision Zero Pledge to reinforce important safety precautions while using our streets. Working together, we will make Hoboken an even safer place for our families and children.”
The website, www.vzhoboken.com, facilitates multiple ways for members of the community to remotely engage with Hoboken’s Vision Zero project through a public survey, an interactive feedback map, two community toolkits, and the ability to sign up for project updates. Members of the public are encouraged to take the survey and use the map to identify locations where they feel unsafe due to traffic-related conditions such as speeding, failure to stop or yield, or double parking. The map will help the City analyze the relationship between where traffic related crashes are causing injuries and deaths and where residents experience unsafe conditions. The survey and map, located under the “Public Input” tab on the website or by clicking the following link, https://www.vzhoboken.com/public-input, are accepting responses through August 31.
Mayor Bhalla also encourages residents to take the Vision Zero pledge on the website. The pledge is a reminder to all residents and visitors that simple actions, like yielding to the most vulnerable road user, paying attention to surroundings while driving, and driving extra cautiously and slowly around schools and parks, all play an important part in helping achieve no traffic related injuries or deaths by 2030.
The website also includes a Safe Routes to School Toolkit and Community Ambassador Toolkit, both of which have resources available for download, but will become more developed as the Action Plan is developed over the next several months. Once the ability to host in-person events resumes, the City plans to launch the Community Ambassador peer-to-peer outreach campaign.
In August of 2019, Mayor Bhalla signed an Executive Order officially launching the Vision Zero safety campaign which established both a Vision Zero Task Force, and initiated a Vision Zero Action Plan, the City’s roadmap for achieving the elimination of traffic-related deaths and injuries by 2030. The task force, along with the Vision Zero project team will identify several additional strategies for City Departments and community groups to undertake to achieve zero traffic-related deaths and injuries by 2030. Once these strategies are drafted, members of the public will have an opportunity to provide feedback.
Hoboken has continued with a number of other initiatives as a part of Vision Zero, including the installation of new curb extensions, the repainting of crosswalks with high visibility paint, the striping of over 5 miles of bike lanes within Hoboken, installation of two new traffic lights at Hudson Street and Hudson Place, and 14th Street and Garden Street, among other improvements.
Earlier this year, the City and Hudson County completed the Newark Street Complete Street Redesign Project, which included four new high-visibility crosswalks, 10 new curb extensions, a new mid-block crosswalk, new ADA-compliant crosswalk ramps, a new protected bike lane, and more.
For project updates, visit the project website (vzhoboken.com) or follow along on social media (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube) at the handle @VZHoboken.
