The Jersey City Council passed a measure allocating $9 million towards the “Vision Zero” traffic safety initiative at last night’s meeting. 
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
“Our commitment to preventing fatalities on our roadways and building a safer, more pedestrian-friendly City goes beyond simple rhetoric: last night’s multi-million dollar traffic safety budget is proof that we will make real progress towards this goal in the upcoming year,†Mayor Steven Fulop said in a statement.
“From traffic calming measures to building more complete streets, we are focused on making important changes to the safety of our roadways, so that no more lives will be senselessly lost in traffic-related crashes.â€
Earlier this year, Fulop signed an executive order adopting the Vision Zero initiative in Jersey City in an effort to eliminating traffic fatalities. T
Jersey City’s $587 million 2018 budget includes funding for projects that work to reduce traffic fatalities, as well as make the City’s roadways more pedestrian and bicycle accessible.
The approved budget includes $1 million for major safety improvements to the Montgomery Street Corridor, Communipaw Avenue, Marin Boulevard, and nine intersections on Martin Luther King Boulevard, through partnership funding with the New Jersey Transportation Authority (NJTPA).
Additionally, the city has designated $5 million in improvements to traffic signals, speed humps, traffic communications equipment, as well as updates to bicycle and pedestrian safety infrastructure.
The Grand Street and Montgomery Street projects included in the budget are part of the City’s Complete Streets policy, which was adopted in 2011 to enhance roadways so that they are safe and convenient for all users, including pedestrians, cyclists, and drivers.
In addition to the $9 million in street safety infrastructure projects, the council has approved an additional $1 million for the creation of a Bus Rapid Transit System to create dedicated lanes and streets for bus or bike movement only.
This system will aim to enhance connectivity to residents on the North and South side of the City in a safer and more efficient way.
During the next few months, the City will be issuing an RFP for a team to assist with a feasibility study for this project.
Over 200 cities around the world have implemented similar systems with improved traffic flows and safer connectivity for bicycle users.
