Bhalla touts Hoboken CLEAR pilot program as he releases data on last full day in office

Hoboken Mayor Ravi Bhalla is touting the Camera-based License Plate Enforcement for Access & Response (CLEAR) program one more time, releasing data from the three-month pilot on his last full day in office.

By John Heinis/Hudson County View

During the pilot, cameras mounted along Washington Street from Observer Highway to Eighth Street captured images of potential violations which were then reviewed by parking enforcement officers before citations were issued.

Now, the City will use a combination of pilot data and stakeholder feedback to determine next steps for the program.

“The data and results of the CLEAR program are clear as day – the three-month period saw a drastic increase in street safety in Hoboken. Crossing the street, riding a bike on Washington Street, getting off the bus, and driving along our main commercial corridor were all made substantially safer through camera-assisted enforcement,” Bhalla, who is getting sworn in as a state assemblyman today, said in a statement last night.

“Washington Street has never been more efficient than it was during the CLEAR pilot, and it is my hope that this program will be refined and continued to prioritize the safety of our residents and visitors in the months and years to come.”

Key safety findings from the three-month CLEAR initiative include a 59 percent reduction in blocked bike lanes, representing a decrease of nearly 22 hours per day along the corridor.

Similarly, the city recorded a 44 percent reduction in blocked bus stops, representing a decrease of nearly 11 hours per day along the corridor, as well as a  66 percent reduction in loading zone violations.

Furthermore, the program showed a  67 percent increase in loading zone use by freight vehicles, a 32 percent increase in overall loading zone utilization, and a 2 percent increase in both paid parking transactions and average parking space turnover compared to 2024.

According to additional spending and visitation data from the Hoboken Business Alliance, the CLEAR pilot coincided with increases in customer activity within the corridor including a nearly 4 percent increase in longer visits between September to December.

That’s when compared to the same time frame last year, with a 6 percent increase during the holiday season between Thanksgiving and Christmas.

The pilot also improved traffic flow and compliance along the corridor as 93 percent of drivers who received a citation did not receive a second violation.

Traffic congestion also declined as blocked travel lanes were reduced by an average of 20 minutes per day, improving traffic flow and circulation for drivers and commuters, according to the mayor’s office.

While the program was only active for the final quarter of 2025, it was a regular talking point for politicos in the Mile Square City.

In late October, a Princeton man filed a lawsuit alleging that the program was illegal under federal law, then in December the city council voted 5-4 to put a temporary freeze on the program, which Bhalla vetoed and the council failed to override, all as HCV first reported.

1st Ward Councilman Paul Presinzano, who had been outspoken against the program, chided Bhalla for releasing the pilot data at the last moment possible.

“It’s extremely troubling that I had been asking the administration for this data for the past few months and it finally comes out via a press release on Mayor Bhalla’s last day in office,” he told HCV.

“Once again, he puts his own personal ambitions over the residents of Hoboken. Thankfully, Mayor-elect Jabbour has assured me this is not how she will govern.”

Emily Jabbour, a two term councilwoman at-large, will be inaugurated as the next mayor at the DeBaun Auditorium at the Stevens Institute of Technology on Thursday at 1 p.m.