MONTCLAIR TO FORM VISION ZERO TASK FORCE

MAYOR SEAN SPILLER, COUNCIL MEMBER PETER YACOBELLIS, COUNCIL MEMBER LORI PRICE ABRAMS, ESSEX COUNTY COMMISSIONER BRENDAN GILL TEAM UP FOR “WHOLE OF GOVERNMENT APPROACH”

TASK FORCE AIMS TO ELIMINATE ALL ROADWAY FATALITIES AND SERIOUS INJURIES FROM VEHICULAR CRASHES, INCLUDING PEDESTRIAN AND BICYCLE CRASHES, BY THE END OF 2028

MONTCLAIR, N.J. – Today, Montclair Mayor Sean Spiller, Council Member Peter Yacobellis, and Council Member Lori Price Abrams announced they are introducing a Resolution to establish a Vision Zero Task Force to be considered by the Montclair Township Council on Tuesday, May 16^th and with support of Essex County Commissioner Brendan Gill and advocacy organizations.

The Task Force would be comprised of representatives from various Township departments, members of the Council, Essex County representatives, and members of key advocacy organizations like Bike & Walk Montclair and the New Jersey Bike & Walk Coalition. The Task Force will be empowered to develop recommendations to eliminate crashes in Montclair by the end of 2028. The Task Force will be charged with updating Montclair’s dormant Complete Streets Plan to a Complete & Green Streets Plan that incorporates stormwater retention into modern traffic calming solutions.

Mayor Spiller and Council Member Yacobellis will introduce the Vision Zero Task Force Resolution for passage that the May 16^th Council Meeting. If enacted, members of the Task Force would be appointed by separate Resolution in June with the expectation that the Task Force would get to work over the summer. Funding to support the Task Force has been set aside in the 2023 Township budget within the Department of Community Services. The Task Force and the Township will immediately begin applying for grants to support the scope of work and importantly – recommend solutions.

According to Yacobellis: “In 2022, Montclair saw 47 pedestrian strikes and 14 cyclist strikes by vehicles per the Montclair Police Department. This also correlates with state trends in year-over-year increases that we’re seeing.”

“There is nothing more important than making sure that we keep our residents safe in Montclair. As Mayor, it is my goal to ensure that we do everything possible to minimize and eliminate injuries or worse, resulting from crashes.”, said Mayor Spiller. “I am grateful to my colleagues on the Council who together with incredible advocates have collaborated to get us to this point today.”, he added.

“There is an epidemic of distraction in transportation and we’re seeing year-over-year increases in pedestrian and bicycle strikes in Montclair. The best way to deal with this is to treat the disease and not the individual symptoms. We have an incredible opportunity to design a streetscape that makes our streets safer by focusing on high crash corridor and intersection improvements, enables safer walking and biking — and at the same time can deploy things like rain gardens in curb bump-outs that capture stormwater. Yes please.”, said Council Member Peter Yacobellis.

“Rarely a week goes by that I don’t hear from constituents about another crash or close call in Montclair.”, said Council Member Price Abrams. “We have an exciting opportunity to bring together stakeholders and line our intentions up with what we know the State and Federal Governments are looking to fund, to invest in a safer streetscape. Now is the time to act on this.”, she added.

“My wife Alixon and I have long championed safe streets in our hometown of Montclair and throughout Essex County”, said Essex County Commissioner Brendan Gill. “As a Board Member of the NJ Bike & Walk Coalition and one of the earliest and fiercest advocates of the Essex Hudson Greenway, I see this as another vital tool for making our home a safer place for pedestrians and cyclists.”, he added.

“Everyone has the right to safe walking and biking on our streets without fear of being hit by a car. This Vision Zero Task Force, charged with creating an Action Plan that follows USDOT’s safe systems approach and updating our Complete Streets Policy, is a critical step towards making that possible.” said NJBWC Executive Director Debra Kagan.” A planned proactive approach to creating safer streets town wide, especially for those biking and walking, is all about improving the quality of life for everyone in Montclair.”, she added.

“It is encouraging to arrive to this point where we have our Mayor, several town council members and an Essex County Commissioner all working together to draft this Resolution for a Vision Zero Task Force so that we may proactively address roadway safety. We need to apply the evolved thinking and strategies which are being used successfully in many communities across the country to make our roadways safer for all, in particular to our most vulnerable roadway users.”, said Paul Mickiewicz, President of Bike & Walk Montclair. “Making the healthy choice, the easy choice by prioritizing walking, riding a bike, rolling on scooter, wheelchair, etc. represents the single most impactful, positive behavior change we can make.”, he added.