For more information, contact:
Vision Zero NJ Alliance
(908) 791-5751, visionzero4nj@gmail.com
Statement from Vision Zero New Jersey Alliance on creation of the NJ Target Zero Commission (A4296)
This press release contains the statement issued from the Vision Zero New Jersey Alliance on the creation of the NJ Target Zero Commission (A4296) which was passed on June 8th by the New Jersey Assembly State and Local Government Committee. NJBWC is a founding partner in the Vision Zero Alliance. The official statement can be found below:
Vision Zero NJ Alliance Statement:
Vision Zero NJ Alliance advocates say they are ready to help the State eliminate death and serious injuries suffered by all users on all roadways by 2040 if the NJ Target Zero Commission becomes law.
Bill A4296, unanimously cleared on a bipartisan vote for introduction by the NJ Assembly State and Local Government Committee on June 8, would create a NJ Target Zero Commission. The commission is a collaborative interagency effort tasked with creating an action plan based on Vision Zero and the FHWA-recommended Safe System Approach, which has shown proven success in Hoboken, Jersey City, and around the globe. The Bill outlines the steps required to meet the 2040 deadline and calls on the Commission to accelerate a timeline for changes in the way NJ’s roads are designed, built, funded and used.
Assemblyman Robert Karabinchak (D-34), one of the bill’s sponsors, testified before the Committee and said it was written to change the State’s approach to road safety for all users by mandating collaboration by 13 government agencies— and by calling on advocates and other experts to help shape the action plans. “The most important thing…beyond government, is that … the stakeholders have to be involved here. It’s not just going to be the government making a decision and that’s it. This is all the key stakeholders – advocates and experts are all going to have a say [on] this Commission,” Assemblyman Karabinchak told the Committee.
The Alliance will do all it can to give high public visibility to the urgent need for tangible actions — with firm deadlines, public involvement and budget support— that signify NJ will no longer do business as usual when road projects are discussed, planned and funded. The Alliance expects that a Target Zero action plan for NJ will not simply be an extension of the current Strategic Highway Safety Plan.
The Alliance has documented the urgent need for designing roads that can be safely shared by all road users of all ages, abilities and incomes in our state—no matter how they choose to travel. The Alliance includes elected officials and public servants from the towns and counties already working on their own Vision Zero strategies with impressive results that prove achieving the goal is possible. The Alliance also includes advocates, professional transportation experts, and, most significantly, families who have suffered from road violence.
Vision Zero NJ Alliance members celebrated the following key provisions of the bill that, if employed as intended by the legislation, could fundamentally change the State’s current piece-meal approach:
- Coordination of plans and actions by 13 Commission members representing departments responsible for transportation, health, safety, law enforcement, and the environment
- Requiring the commission to meet with key stakeholders, advocates, and experts
- Applying the FHWA-recommended Safe System Approach (with five key elements – Safer Roads, Safer road users, Safer Vehicles, Safer Speeds and Post-Crash Care) which emphasizes the design of roadways including sidewalks, crosswalks, shoulders, and trail crossings; bicycle and scooter parking; and access to transit, schools, and parks
- Focusing on inclusion and equity for all road users
- Encouraging active transportation and mass transit as safe and viable forms of transportation for people of all ages and abilities
- Creating a publicly accessible data website that includes traffic crash data and a high injury network of roadways in the State
Assemblyman Anthony Verrelli (D-15), chair of the State and Local Government Committee, concluded the hearing on the Target Zero bill with these remarks – “I believe when this committee convenes, we convene to make a difference in the lives of people in the state of New Jersey, and I think this bill…makes a difference, because if we can save one life, we’ve accomplished a goal. But the goal is even further: to save all lives.”
The Alliance believes all of us who live in New Jersey have the right to leave home and return safely on roads designed to end the risk of death and serious injuries, no matter how or when we choose to travel.
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The Vision Zero Alliance is a coalition of diverse partners, such as families impacted by traffic crashes, community members, advocates, policymakers, transportation professionals, public health professionals, and others. Vision Zero starts with the belief that every person in New Jersey will be able to travel safely each day, without the risk of death or serious injuries on our roadways, no matter how or when they travel. We acknowledge that, fundamentally, our transportation system does not put people’s safety first and that systemic changes are needed to make meaningful progress.
The Target Zero Commission bill, also sponsored in the Assembly by Assemblywoman Mila Jasey (D-27) and Assemblyman Daniel Benson (D-14), amended a bill unanimously approved by the NJ Senate Transportation Committee in the spring. It is expected that the amended bill will be posted for a vote in both houses by June 30.
