Bicycling and Pedestrian Safety Meeting Recap from 8/3/2010

Last night at the Multi Service Center from 4:30PM to 7:30PM a workshop was conducted by the NJ Department of Transportation and the RBA group. The agenda included an introduction and a Presentation for the vision to improve bike and pedestrian safety. The second half of the meeting solicited comments from the audience on how to improve both biking and pedestrian safety in Hoboken.

Also in attendance were Mayor Dawn Zimmer, Councilmen Dave Mello and Mike Lenz as well as 4th Ward candidate Timothy Occipiniti. From the Zimmer Administration there was also Director Ian Sacs and Juan Melli. Hoboken bicycling advocate Jim Vance and Helen Manogue were there as well as another 25-30 concerned citizens.

Here were some of the citizen remarks to two of the major questions posed by NJ Transit and the RBA group:

Question 1: What types of changes would you like to see in Hoboken  to better accommodate bicycling?

• Prescribed routes for bikes.
• Designated bikeways/trails as well as streets that prohibited bikes
• Bike lanes on streets without stop signs and bike boulevards.
• Completed waterfront trail.
• Education for bicyclists.
• More visibility at corners.
• More enforcement for such things as riding on sidewalk.
• Fix Sinatra Drive for biking. It is a speedway.
• Bike lanes as traffic calming devices.

Question 2: What types of changes would you like to see in Hoboken to better accommodate walking?

• Pedestrian crosswalk push buttons that would change more quickly.
•  Slow traffic with bump-outs.
• SRTS programs - "walking school buses"
• Pedestrian only streets such as cobblestone streets near NJ Trains.
• Planters/gardens at intersections.
• More attention at hot spots.
• Walk signals.
• Intersections on Washington Street have lights that are very long.
• Enforce jaywalking.

The RSA Group concluded the meeting by giving the breakout of how people got to the meeting via which mode of transport and stated that the next step would be to release their final plan and they will try taking into account some of these suggestions where feasible.

Last night's bicycle and pedestrian safety meeting photo highlights:



Editor's Note: This is just another example of the public getting a chance to give their input under the Zimmer Administration in an open meeting. ◦

Bicycling and Pedestrian Safety Meeting Recap from 8/3/2010