March 11, 2013
Look both ways. It’s an old maxim with new relevance to road safety in the Garden State.
With over 440 pedestrian fatalities reported from 2009 – 2011, addressing pedestrian road safety in New Jersey has become a top priority. For many New Jersey communities, reducing pedestrian accidents is a two-way street – one that calls for shared responsibility between pedestrians and drivers.
Fortunately, the Community Foundation is right at the intersection of community safety and philanthropic solutions. Scroll down for a list of ways to help promote pedestrian safety in your community. And click here to access your fund and consider making a grant in this area.
Last month, a Tri-State Transportation Campaign report identified US-130 (Burlington Pike), US-322/40 (Blackhorse Pike) and Route 1 in Middlesex County as New Jersey’s “Most Dangerous Roads.” These roads have earned the “Most Dangerous” title for five years running – a distinction that the Campaign hopes to change. Click here for a summary of the report.
The Campaign report applauds state and independent initiatives to step up road safety for pedestrians, noting the NJDOT’s introduction of “complete streets” policies that require roads to accommodate all users. More New Jersey communities are investing in traffic-calming infrastructure: camera technology, retrofitted roadways and tougher penalties for drivers in accordance with complete streets policies. State and municipal initiatives are also updating pedestrian amenities such as crosswalks, count-down signals, bike lanes and alternative pathways.
Better infrastructure is a critical step, but reducing the number of pedestrian accidents will require multilevel change and cooperation.
The Campaign report presents a three-pronged approach for improving road safety in New Jersey:
- retrofitting roads in accordance with complete streets concepts,
- implementing policy changes to protect vulnerable road users,
- and creating awareness of policy changes.
It also calls for a statewide culture shift for drivers to share roadways with multiple types of road users.
Pedestrian behavior is also under review in New Jersey. Distracted road crossing (texting, emailing or relying on drivers to obey crosswalk laws) can lead to pedestrian injury and deaths. Last year, Fort Lee passed a “texting while walking” ban in the wake of 74 pedestrian accidents and 3 fatalities. Reducing pedestrian accidents begins with community action, as several grassroots initiatives throughout New Jersey have shown.
Looking both ways at road safety – as drivers and as pedestrians – can lead to safer New Jersey roadways. Here’s how you can support safer roads in your community and throughout the state:
- Launch a local Pedestrian Safety Program like CFNJ’s donor-advised “Little Falls Pedestrian Decoy Operation” to promote pedestrian safety in your community.
- Help support alternative transportation projects (such as The Circuit in Southern New Jersey) designed to create access to safer routes and networks for bicyclists and pedestrians.
- Promote pedestrian road safety, better air quality, reduced car traffic and more active transportation methods by supporting grant programs and initiatives for bicycle/pedestrian planning in your community
- Stay Informed: Find up-to-date traffic laws and road safety policies for pedestrians and drivers on NJ’s Division of Highway Traffic Safety.
- Contact CFNJ for more information about programs and initiatives working to advance road safety in New Jersey.