Nora Martinez DeBenedetto Unveils Comprehensive Pedestrian Safety Plan for Hoboken’s 2^nd Ward

Nora Martinez DeBenedetto  a candidate for 2^nd Ward Council in Hoboken,,today unveiled a comprehensive pedestrian safety plan, designed to make the 2^nd Ward a safer place for pedestrians and all modes of transportation. 

 “Hoboken is not a suburban enclave where every trip out for a gallon of milk involves strapping the kids into an SUV, but rather a town in which  people walk to run many of their errands or to just get around” said Nora Martinez DeBenedetto. “This should not mean taking your life in your hands, dodging distracted or speeding drivers.”

Nora continued, “That is why I am proposing a multi-pronged approach in my new Pedestrian Safety Plan for the Second Ward, a variety of measures which will help to make our streets and our sidewalks safer for kids, seniors, and everyone in between. “

She noted that 15^th Street and Willow Avenue are particularly hazardous for people on foot and are prioritized in her pedestrian safety plan.

2^nd Ward Pedestrian Safety Plan:

Raised Intersections: These physical lifts in the road encourage drivers to slow down, and are similar to a speed bump, but do not pose the same challenges for snowplows. Raised intersections could be a successful approach at either 15^th & Bloomfield Streets or 15^th & Washington Streets, and at the entrance of Elysian Park at 11^th Street.

Street Art: This is an affordable traffic calming measure that offers the possibility to engage local student artists. While murals and street painting require some on-going maintenance, they have proven successful at reducing speeding in residential areas. In collaboration with local schools, the intersections of 15^th & Garden, and 12^th & Willow are excellent candidates for traffic-calming street art.

Traffic Circles: Hoboken can truly benefit from this low-cost solution to traffic-calming. By placing a small statue or planter in the middle of notoriously dangerous intersections, motorists will be forced to physically slow down to maneuver through the intersection. This method could potentially be used along 15^th Street intersections, at 13^th & Park, 12^th & Garden, or at 12^th & Shipyard Lane.

Twenty is Plenty: The current legal speed limit on most Hoboken streets is 25 miles per hour, but even the casual observer can see that motorists routinely drive well beyond that. This is simply not practical for one of the most densely populated cities in America. Legally reducing the speed limit to 20 MPH, and reviving the ‘Twenty is Plenty’ public education campaign will save lives. 

Scooters:  Hoboken must put in place a zero-tolerance policy for illegal scooting with increased enforcement. No e-scooters on sidewalks. Period. Violators must have their accounts suspended. Scooters should be parked on the street in no parking zones at corners, and not on sidewalks. 

Three Strikes and You’re Out: Running a Stop sign is illegal, and drivers who blatantly ignore the law should not enjoy the same privileges as those who take safety seriously. Drivers who are caught running three Stop signs should have their Hoboken parking stickers taken away.

New cameras: While speed cameras can no longer give tickets to those speeding or running a red light due to state law, there’s nothing stopping Hoboken from installing cameras to catch violations such as running a stop sign and collecting the data. Multiple violations with our speed cameras would result in Hoboken parking privileges to be revoked. This would be ideal in locations like 15^th Street.

Two New Traffic Studies for 15^th Street and Willow Avenue: Traffic studies must be conducted at two particularly challenging areas in the Second Ward neighborhood: 15^th Street between Hudson and Park Avenue, and Willow Avenue from 11^th Street north to the Weehawken Land Bridge. We must evolve the physical design of these two areas, which weren’t created to handle the heavy comingling of vehicular traffic, pedestrians, and cyclists. 

Barriers on Willow Avenue between 13^th and 14^th Streets: Installing barriers down the middle of Willow Avenue between 13^th and 14^th Streets will help ease traffic congestion and make the sidewalk near Trader Joe’s and Walgreen’s (formerly Rite Aid) safer for pedestrians. 

Ride Share Drivers Education must be part of any successful safety campaign. By reaching out to ride share programs, such as Uber and Lyft, we can encourage them to better educate their drivers about pedestrian awareness in Hoboken. It is imperative that the drivers and companies who are profiting in our town are being sure to stop for pedestrians and obey the speed limit. 

Protected Bike Lanes: We need more protected bike lanes throughout Hoboken on North/South streets. Physically narrow roads naturally decrease motor speeds, creating increased safety for cyclists, motorists, and pedestrians. 

Pedestrian Walk Signals: Every walk signal throughout the Second Ward must be reevaluated to ensure they are working effectively. 

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