New Jersey adopts statewide complete streets policy

NJ joins Delaware, Oregon

Steve Hawley, Jan 08, 10.

The New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT), following the lead of one of the state’s cities, is implementing a statewide complete streets policy, according to the Montclair Times. ‘Complete streets’ refers to streets that are designed for a combination of cars, transit, pedestrians, and bicyclists.

The Township of Montclair was the first New Jersey municipality to adopt such a policy, approving it in October, and NJDOT soon followed suit. The article reports:

According to the NJDOT, these roads will be designed to improve safety for pedestrians, bicyclists, children, older adults, and those without cars; provide sidewalks, bike and walking paths, and safe crossings; promote healthy lifestyles; create more livable communities; and reduce traffic congestion and the use of carbon fuels.
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Sheree Davis, the NJDOT’s bicycle and pedestrian coordinator, told The Times that all roadway users need to be safely accommodated.

“It’s our motive to create a statewide network for bicyclists, motorists … to get to places,” said Davis. “More people today are using bikes [and] mass transit to get to their workplace, so why shouldn’t they be accommodated as well?”

According to WalkBikeJersey, Delaware and Oregon also have statewide complete streets policies. The text of the new policy, which was signed by the state transportation commissioner on December 10, is posted at WalkBikeJersey and at the West Windsor Bicycle and Pedestrian Alliance. Below are some excerpts:

A Complete Street is defined as means to provide safe access for all users by designing and operating a comprehensive, integrated, connected multi-modal network of transportation options.

The benefits of Complete Streets are many and varied:
• Complete Streets improve safety for pedestrians, bicyclists, children, older citizens, non-drivers and the mobility challenged as well as those that cannot afford a car or choose to live car free.
• Provide connections to bicycling and walking trip generators such as employment, education, residential, recreation, retail centers and public facilities.
• Promote healthy lifestyles.
• Create more livable communities.
• Reduce traffic congestion and reliance on carbon fuels thereby reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
• Complete Streets make fiscal sense by incorporating sidewalks, bike lanes, safe crossings and transit amenities into the initial design of a project, thus sparing the expense of retrofits later.

The New Jersey Department of Transportation shall implement a Complete Streets policy though the planning, design, construction, maintenance and operation of new and retrofit transportation facilities, enabling safe access and mobility of pedestrians, bicyclists, transit users of all ages and abilities. This includes all projects funded through the Department’s Capital Program. The Department strongly encourages the adoption of similar policies by regional and local jurisdictions who apply for funding through Local Aid programs.

Full text of New Jersey’s complete streets policy