Home › Posts tagged Pedestrian Safety

Pedestrian Safety

Random Spooky Artist Expression or Tactical Urbanism?

Posted on by

Different kinds of mannequins on the lawn of a home in North Brunswick.

The Mannequin House in North Brunswick

Central Jersey exists and it may very well be one of the “weirdest” places in NJ. If you know, you know. Whether you are a Central Jersey believer or in the camp that it is just technically an extension of North Jersey, you have to admit that Middlesex County contains many hidden gems. As a resident of North Brunswick of over 20 years, I can attest that the Mannequin House off of Route 130 is the best that we have, for a number of reasons.

Local artist and bicycling enthusiast, Michael C. was sick of witnessing people speeding off of Route 130, damaging property, hurting themselves and others. As a lifelong North Brunswick resident he wanted people to be able to enjoy this street safely. Beginning with just a few mannequins, his art grew to well over 50 mannequins, in an effort to slow motorists down. The idea was for people to stop and smell the “flowers,” those flowers being his mannequins.

Traffic calming is the ultimate purpose of the mannequin house through the use of tactical urbanism. Tactical urbanism is a fast, cheap, action-oriented approach to making meaningful civic changes to neighborhoods, towns, and cities. Traffic calming is a set of specific measures like traffic circles, speed humps, and lane narrowing, aimed at reducing injuries and or death due to speeding, in order to improve road safety and quality of life.

You might have noticed the mannequin house while driving by, wondering about its uniqueness and the reason behind it. What did you do when you saw it? You slowed down to see all the details of this spooky installment, right? Now, was that pure coincidence because you saw something interesting or was it traffic calming in disguise? Making his street safer has become Michael’s life’s work. With the help of his partner, the themes of these mannequins change periodically so as to not lose the allure that causes people to slow down. According to sources, all of his mannequins are set up to mimic movement in the shadows using chicken wire, giving the illusion of people crossing the street in an effort to slow down drivers.

Over the years this house has helped reduce speeding on Washington Road, and Mr. C., with his passion for traffic safety has given us here at KMM a unique opportunity to witness creative measures to improve safety. This traffic calming device masked as an art installation is a great example of how engaging local creatives and unique thinkers can help us rethink road safety improvements within our communities.

-Izzy Gonzalez, Safe Routes to School Coordiator

What is Vision Zero?

Posted on by

Vision Zero: A Commitment to Safe Streets and includes images of people walking, biking, scooting and using a wheelchair on roads.

You’ve probably heard a lot about Vision Zero and you’re wondering what is it? Municipalities across New Jersey and the United States are committing to Vision Zero through resolutions, ordinances aimed at increasing road safety, and street redesigns that accommodate all people, regardless of how they get around.

What is Vision Zero? A Bold Strategy for Road Safety

In the world of transportation and road safety, Vision Zero has emerged as a groundbreaking approach aimed at eliminating traffic-related fatalities and serious injuries. While the idea might seem idealistic at first, it’s grounded in the belief that no loss of life or serious injury on the roads is acceptable. By shifting the focus to proactive safety measures, Vision Zero aims to create a road system that protects all users, including drivers, pedestrians, cyclists, and motorcyclists.

Origins of Vision Zero

Vision Zero was first introduced in Sweden in 1997. The country, known for its strong commitment to social welfare and public safety, set out with the goal of creating a transportation system where nobody would be killed or seriously injured in road accidents. Since its inception, Sweden has seen significant success, with traffic fatalities dropping by over half in the years that followed the implementation of Vision Zero.

Seeing these positive results, the idea began to spread globally. Today, cities and countries around the world have adopted Vision Zero as part of their road safety strategies, including major urban centers in the U.S., Canada, Europe, and beyond. But Vision Zero isn’t just a set of guidelines—it’s a call to action and a comprehensive approach to how we think about traffic safety.

Key Principles of Vision Zero

  • Human-Centered Design: One of the core tenets of Vision Zero is the recognition that humans make mistakes. Road design should accommodate human error, making it difficult for accidents to result in serious injuries or deaths. For example, roundabouts or protected bike lanes can reduce the likelihood of fatal collisions.
  • Systemic Safety: Vision Zero doesn’t just focus on individual behavior but emphasizes improving the entire transportation system. This includes engineering safer roadways, introducing more robust vehicle safety standards, and enhancing traffic laws. The goal is to redesign roads and infrastructure to prevent severe accidents from occurring, regardless of human error.
  • Shared Responsibility: Unlike traditional road safety approaches, which often place the blame for accidents on drivers, Vision Zero emphasizes that responsibility is shared by everyone involved—drivers, cyclists, pedestrians, policymakers, and engineers. It’s not about blaming individuals but creating a safer system for all.
  • Data-Driven Solutions: Effective policies and infrastructure changes must be informed by solid data. Vision Zero calls for detailed data collection on traffic accidents, injury patterns, and the behavior of road users to determine where improvements are needed. This allows for targeted solutions and better resource allocation.

Vision Zero in Practice

While Vision Zero might sound like an ambitious ideal, there are numerous real-world examples showing its effectiveness. Cities around the world have already begun to implement Vision Zero strategies with significant success.

  • Hoboken, NJ: Since committing to Vision Zero in 2018, Hoboken has not seen a traffic fatality in seven years, thanks to safety improvements that include daylighting intersections – the process of increasing visibility at crosswalks, incorporating bike lanes, and reducing speed limits throughout the city.
  • Jersey City, NJ: Jersey City became the first city in New Jersey to commit to Vision Zero through initiatives like pop-up pedestrian plazas, installing roundabouts, reducing speed limits, and daylighting intersections.
  • New York City: In 2014, NYC adopted Vision Zero as part of its official traffic safety strategy. The city implemented measures like lower speed limits, the expansion of bike lanes, and increased enforcement of traffic laws.

As more cities adopt Vision Zero principles, it’s becoming clear that road safety is not just about enforcement but about rethinking the very nature of how we design and interact with our road systems. The initiative has the potential to transform cities into safer, more inclusive environments where everyone—from children to the elderly—can move around confidently without the constant threat of road crashes.

Vision Zero is A Shared Goal

Achieving zero traffic deaths and serious injuries requires continued collaboration among government agencies, engineers, public health professionals, and the public. Everyone must play a role in ensuring that Vision Zero is more than just a lofty goal but a tangible, life-saving reality.

Vision Zero is more than just a traffic safety program; it is a philosophy that redefines how we view road safety. It challenges the notion that traffic deaths are inevitable and calls for systemic changes to create a safer world for all road users. The journey toward zero is long, but it’s a step toward a future where no one has to fear for their life on the road.

Learn more about Vision Zero, download a sample resolution, and take the Vision Zero Pledge HERE.

New Jersey Safe Passing Law

Posted on by

Happy 2024! A new year brings with it new possibilities, like the opportunity to reduce crash fatalities on our roadways. According to the 2023 NJ State Police Fatal Crash Statistics  172 pedestrians and 23 cyclists were killed on New Jersey’s roadways last year. That means 195 families were left with at least one empty seat at their holiday gatherings due to these preventable deaths.

The New Jersey Safe Passing law, also called Oscar’s Law after Oscar Zanoni, a 44 year old Metuchen resident that was fatally killed by a tractor trailer on Rt. 27 in Edison, went into effect on March 1, 2022. The law aims to prevent injuries and fatalities caused by motor vehicle crashes with bicyclists, pedestrians, and other road users. This year, we are asking all motorists to help keep everyone safe by following these common sense rules:

 

  • Drivers must move over a lane (if there’s one to move into) while following all current no-passing and no speeding laws.
  • On a single-lane road, drivers must provide a distance of at least 4 feet to safely pass a vulnerable road user.
  • If 4 feet is not possible, drivers must slow to 25 mph and be prepared to stop until they can pass safely without endangering those sharing the road.

 

Drivers who are caught violating the law will receive a $100 fine (causing bodily injury results in a $500 fine and 2 motor vehicle points).

You can hear the story of how the NJ Safe Passing law was implemented, by checking out our Mobility Matters podcast interview with Metuchen Borough Council President, Jason Delia.

Together we can make 2024 the safest year ever for pedestrians, cyclists, and all road users!

 

Additional resource and information about the NJ Safe Passing Law can be found at the following links:

NJ Statute 39:4-92.4

NJ Division of Highway Traffic Safety

NJ Bicycle Pedestrian Resource Center at Rutgers University

NJ Bike Walk Coalition

Metuchen Man’s Death Spurs Pedestrian Safety Legislation

 

Think before you Drive!

Posted on by — No Comments ↓
Picture Source: http://baristanet.com/2014/12/drive-sober-get-pulled-campaign-crackdown-begins-today/

Summertime is a time where many people gather to enjoy their free time with friends and family. These can also be some of the most deadly times on the roads due to impaired driving. One of the deadliest and most often committed crimes is #drunkdriving. It is a serious safety epidemic in our country and across the world.

During the summer a nationwide campaign composed of thousands of traffic safety partner all join together to protect the public. The 2016 national drunk driving enforcement “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” goes into effect from August 17 to September 5, 2016. Prevention and arrest are the goals of this campaign. Drivers must perceive that the risk of being caught is too high before their behavior will change.

If you see an impaired driver on the road, contact law enforcement right away. Your actions may save someone’s life, and inaction could cost them their life. By increasing law enforcement efforts, raising the publics awareness, and maximizing your local resources, can make a huge difference to save more lives on roadways.

Here are 5 tips to remember for the next time you gather with friends and family and before you go out on the road:
  1. Be responsible. If you know that someone is drinking, do not let that person get into a car and drive away.
  2. Have a designated driver. A good way to figure this out is to decide who’s going to be doing the driving before you go out. Also make sure that person doesn’t drink any alcoholic beverages.
  3. Call a taxi or Uber as a back up. Sometimes you cannot rely on all designated drivers.
  4. Take keys. You shouldn’t be afraid to take someone’s car keys if you know that they have been drinking and that you are going to save their life.
  5. If you know that you have had too much to drink, stay put and sober up.

Learning A Lesson the Hard Way

Posted on by — No Comments ↓

Almost everyone has been told – never text and walk – especially me. And sadly, most people don’t listen to these warnings – also me.

I’m here to tell you my story of texting and walking.

Like most kids, I play a sport. My sport is swimming. I swim five days a week so you can often find me on my way to swim practice or at swim practice.  On this particular day, I was leaving for practice and was talking to my friend, via text. I swung my bag over my shoulder and started to walk outside, still texting my friend.

As I walked down the steps, still texting and not looking where I was walking, I missed a step and twisted my foot. It hurt, badly but I continued to practice. When I got into my bathing suit and looked at my ankle,  it was red. When I got in the pool and started swimming, my ankle exploded with pain. I had to get out and ice it for the entire practice.  This was not good.kmm

The next day, with the pain still there,  I had to miss school.  I was upset – not about missing school, but the fact that in just three days I was to compete in my swim silver bronze championships.  I train all year round.  I wasn’t going to miss this.

Being the person I am, I swam in the swim meet, but didn’t do as well as I normally do.  All this pain because of one silly mistake I made. If I had put my phone down for just two seconds, I would’ve never slipped and got hurt.

You may say – you could’ve just slipped or it’s just one incident. But it truly isn’t. People all over the world are texting and walking and getting hurt much worse than a twisted ankle, and facing much worse consequences than missing school or doing poorly at a swim meet.

So put the phone down for one minute. It could save your life.

 

Guest post: IRF on #takeyourchildtoworkday2016

Halloween Pedestrian and Driver Safety Tips

Posted on by — No Comments ↓

halloween safety tips The ghosts, monsters and other creatures walking the streets on Oct. 31 aren’t the most frightful thing about Halloween. Here’s a scary fact: Halloween is the most dangerous night of the year for children walking on roadways across the country.

Children are more than twice as likely to be hit by a car and killed on Halloween than any other night of the year, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. And the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that children are four times more likely to be hit by a vehicle on Halloween. That makes following safe pedestrian and driver practices all the more important as children set out to trick or treat this year.

The Street Smart NJ campaign wants to make sure that costumes are the only thing causing a scare this year. Be sure to follow these tips to make your Halloween happy and safe.

For Pedestrians

• Make sure costumes don’t impair your child’s ability to walk or see. KidsHealth.org warns against wearing masks that can limit visibility.

• Before crossing look left, right, and then left again.

• Use sidewalks. When there are no sidewalks, walk facing traffic.

• Be visible. The Safe Kids Worldwide campaign suggests adding reflective tape to costumes or having children carry a light or glow stick. A survey by the group found that only 18 percent of parents have their children use safety lighting on Halloween.

• Cross at corners and intersections and use marked crosswalks when possible.

For Drivers

• Obey the speed limit. AAA suggests driving 5 mph below the posted speed limit on Halloween.

• Stop for pedestrians. New Jersey law requires motorists to stop for pedestrians in cross-walks. Violations of the law carry a $200 fine and two points on your license.

• Don’t drive distracted. New Jersey prohibits talking and texting while driving. Fines range from $200 for first-time offenders to as much as $800 for repeat offenders.

• Drive sober. On Halloween Night between 2009 and 2013, 119 people were killed by drunk driving, according to the National Highway Safety Traffic Administration.

Want more suggestions on how to stay safe? Check out our Street Smart Safety Tips page.

This post was written and created by Street Smart NJ Pedestrian Safety Campaign in conjunction with NJTPA.

 

Before and After: KMM’s Field Work Yields Results

Posted on by — No Comments ↓

Often, things don’t happen quickly in the field of transportation demand management.  Projects can take years to go from conception to design to implementation.  So, I was a little self-satisfied when I saw the new blinking yellow traffic signal and Stop for Pedestrians in Crosswalk signs on New Brunswick’s Paterson Street near Robert Wood Johnson (RWH) Medical Center.

My colleague drives the route everyday and noticed that the crosswalk traffic light was always green, indicating drivers had the right of way.  Yet, pedestrians would cross the street boldly in front of oncoming cars.

“It’s an accident waiting to happen,” she exclaimed.

Late last year, I investigated.  My field observations confirmed her concerns.  The light remained green because pedestrians didn’t push the button for the pedestrian crossing signal.  They didn’t use the button because it took 30 seconds for the light to change.DSC00857

Sometimes the motorist would stop; sometimes not.  Sometimes a pedestrian would look left-right-left, sometimes the pedestrian would step into the street without a glance.  Lacking clear directions, pedestrians and motorists had established an uneasy truce.

My report contained a number of recommendations to improve the conditions.  It was presented to various stakeholders.  I thought it might end up on the shelf like other reports.  But, I was wrong.

Recently, my colleague urged me to return to Paterson Street.  I was happily surprised to see that the red and green phases of the traffic light have been replaced with a flashing yellow light.  Two pedestrian crossing signs have been placed in the roadway.  These economical, simple, quick fixes have reduced confusion and created a safer environment in which pedestrians and motorists can co-exist.

I congratulate the stakeholders who made this happen.DSC01005

New Jersey Kick-offs New Pedestrian Safety Pilot Program

Posted on by — No Comments ↓

streetsmartStreet Smart urges all roadway users to obey vital roadway signs to prevent crashes

A new pedestrian safety pilot program is underway in Newark, Woodbridge, Hackettstown, and Jersey City. The “Street Smart” campaign, a collaborative effort between public, private and non-profit organizations, urges motorists and pedestrian to “check your vital signs” to improve your safety on the road.

The “vital signs” message reminds both drivers and pedestrians to pay attention and adhere to posted signage, which will make travel safer for all roadway users. For motorists, that means observing posted speed limits and stop signs, and stopping for pedestrians in marked crosswalks. If you’re on foot, use crosswalks and wait for the walk signal. If everyone heeded these signs, crashes could be prevented and lives saved. The message may seem simple, but it’s vitally important.

The campaign is long overdue. New Jersey ranks 14th in the nation in pedestrian fatalities and is designated a “focus” state by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). Between 2009 and 2012, 565 pedestrians were killed and more than 17,000 injured on our roadways — that translates to one death every 2.5 days and 11 injuries daily. Last year, 568 people died in motor vehicle crashes in New Jersey — 25 percent were pedestrians.

At a campaign kick-off event held November 1 at the New Jersey Institute of Technology campus in Newark, representatives from the North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority, which is coordinating the campaign in partnership with FHWA, the New Jersey Department of Transportation and the New Jersey Division of Highway Traffic Safety, joined with municipal and law enforcement officials, and safety and public health advocates. They unveiled the campaign message and outreach materials, and discussed the effects of speed on pedestrian safety. If a pedestrian is struck by a car going 20 mph or slower, the odds of survival are good. At speeds above 35 mph, the impact is likely to be fatal.

The campaign uses advertising, grassroots public awareness efforts and law enforcement to address pedestrian safety. Community groups are joining with businesses, schools, churches, hospitals, and non-profit organizations to post and distribute information including tips for all roadway users.

Police officers in the pilot communities are enforcing pedestrian safety laws. They’re focusing on motorists who fail to obey New Jersey’s law requiring them to stop for pedestrians in a crosswalk, as well as pedestrians who jaywalk. They’re also addressing speeding, illegal turns and distracted and inattentive driving and walking, which contribute to pedestrian-motor vehicle crashes.

Despite the program being piloted in these four communities, roadway users throughout New Jersey are urged to get on board. The goal of the Street Smart campaign is to reduce the number of pedestrian injuries and fatalities on all roadways. It is possible. Check your vital signs. Obey the law.  Lives are on the line.

 

credit: NJTPA

Keep Your Eyes Up!

Posted on by — No Comments ↓

Woman On Her Cell PhoneWhat happens when Old Bridge High School 10th graders navigate an obstacle course containing a stop sign, traffic circle, pedestrians in a crosswalk and a traffic light, all while performing a math problem on a calculator?

KMM joined Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in conducting a Distracted Driver/Pedestrian Program and the results were not surprising!   Of the 200 students who walked the course, only a handful received a perfect score.  When evaluated after the program, the students never realized the mistakes they made while concentrating on their calculations. The results were indeed sobering.

The program is designed to educate students about the dangers of being distracted while driving or being a pedestrian.  And since Middlesex County carries the #1 rank in the state for pedestrian accidents, the need to start educating our younger generation is important.

Remember, regardless of our age, we all need to be aware of our surroundings when out on the roads and concentrate on getting to our destination safely.

Pay Attention

Posted on by — No Comments ↓

Pay-attention1I turned into the street and moved into the right lane.  The light was in my favor and I signaled my intention to turn right.  But, I slammed on my brakes as I made the turn because a bicyclist who ran his red light almost ran into me.  I sat there fuming as he pedaled away totally oblivious to the accident he almost caused.

But there’s more.  A few blocks later, I put on my left turn blinker.  The driver of a car approaching in the opposite direction signaled that he was turning to his left.  Thank goodness I paused a moment before taking the turn.  If I had not, the car left would have crashed into mine because the driver didn’t turn left at all.  He drove straight ahead even as his left turn signal blinked.

If we’re on the road as motorists, pedestrians, or bicyclists, we all have to be careful and watch what we’re doing.  Stop lights are for everybody, those who are driving, walking or bicycling.  Turn signals mean the motorist or bicyclist (who should know hand signals) intends to turn.

It’s real simple.  Pay attention.