Actions Matter.
Vision Zero Saves Lives.
The actions proposed for the Hoboken Vision Zero Action Plan are organized in a safe systems approach to eliminating injury and fatal crashes. The approach is founded on a premise that human life and health are the paramount consideration when designing, maintaining, and using streets.
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The following action items are considered those that are anticipated to have high impact. For a complete list of action items, please refer to Appendix B of the action plan or click the button below.
SAFE STREETS
Streets and street features that slow traffic speeds, separate conflicting movements, and provide dedicated spaces for different modes are critical for long term and sustainable crash and trauma reduction. Actions for safe streets prioritize infrastructure improvements and roadway design changes to address acute threats and provide safer walking and bicycling networks.
Item | Action | Timeframe | Lead to Completion | Primary Support | Additional Support | Performance Metric |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
SS8 | Create dedicated expenditure line within the transportation operating budget for bicycle infrastructure. | Immediately | Department of Transportation & Parking | Hoboken City Council | None identified | Bicycle infrastructure expenditure line created within City operating budget in 2021 |
SS14 | Develop policy thresholds to initiate an engineering study for safety with guidance for when to consider specific roadway or intersection modifications. | Immediately | City Engineer's Office | Hoboken Housing Authority | Hudson County | Adopted policy threshold |
SS24 | Develop a Traffic Calming Master Plan to guide the installation of traffic calming infrastructure. Focus on installing speed reduction infrastructure along high crash segments where excessive speed is a prominent crash factor. | Immediately | Department of Transportation & Parking | City Engineer's Office | Hoboken Police Department | Traffic calming plan is programmed for high crash locations within six months of publication of Vision Zero Action Plan. |
SS10 | Establish a permanent funding source for VZ program and align existing funding sources through joint budget requests. | Within two years | Mayor's Office | Department of Transportation & Parking | None identified | Dedicated funding to Vision Zero |
SS13 | Amend the definition of the roadway curbside zone to protect non-vehicular users and describe how the zone may be used to serve non-automotive uses | Within two years | Department of Transportation & Parking | Police Department | Department of Community Development | New policy adopted |
SS22 | Update planned capital improvement program to consider high crash corridors | Within two years | Department of Transportation & Parking | Hudson County | None identified | Number of funded projects on the High Injury Network, high crash locations, and in communities of concern using revised prioritization scheme. |
SS20 | Implement Complete Street Design Guide recommendations for priority intersections, gateway streets, and Special Focus streets. | Within five years | Department of Transportation & Parking | Hudson County | Hoboken Police Department | City shall provide annual assessments on its progress towards full implementation of the Complete Street Design Guide recommendations. |
SAFE SPEED
High speed driving puts people walking and biking at a greater risk of serious injury or death in the event of a crash. Actions for safe speeds focus on reducing vehicle speeds through policy changes, programs to reinforce slow speeds, and public awareness.
Item | Action | Timeframe | Lead to Completion | Primary Support | Additional Support | Performance Metric |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
SSP6 | Develop equitable fine and fee structures for traffic violations. | Immediately | Hoboken Police Department | Hoboken Housing Authority | None identified | Adopt a fee structure for violations that does not place undue burden on low income community members. |
SSP3 | Lower Citywide Speed Limit to reflect safe speed threshold. | Immediately | Department of Transportation & Parking | Hoboken City Council | None identified | Lower citywide speed limit adopted. |
SSP1 | Establish 15 mile-per-hour school zone speed limit. | Within two years | Department of Transportation & Parking | Hoboken City Council | None identified | City shall implement time-dependent reduced speed limit zones adjacent to schools within six months of publication of Vision Zero Action Plan. |
SSP7 | Establish a diversion program for persons cited for infractions related to walking, bicycling, and distracted driving. | Within two years | Hoboken Police Department | None identified | None identified | Adoption of diversion program. |
SSP14 | Install speed-reduction infrastructure along high crash segments where excessive speed is a prominent crash factor. | Within two years | Department of Transportation & Parking | City Engineer's Office | None identified | Conduct before and after prevailing speed data, and continue collecting speed data annually. |
SSP4 | Develop a plan for automated enforcement of speeding and red-light violations across Hoboken, with a focus on high crash areas. | Within five years | Hoboken Police Department | Department of Transportation & Parking | None identified | Secure municipal, state, and/or national funding for increased camera enforcement. |
SSP5 | Implement camera-based enforcement plan to ticket drivers who speed (particularly in school zones and busy pedestrian areas), run red lights, and park illegally in bike lanes. | Within five years | Department of Transportation & Parking | Hoboken Police Department | New Jersey State Government | Camera enforcement is implemented at 100% of high crash locations. |
SAFE AND SMALLER VEHICLES
Safe vehicles play an important role in reducing road trauma. Because of emergent technologies, vehicle designs can protect people outside and inside a vehicle by preventing a crash or absorbing some of the crash forces to decrease the risk of death or serious injury for all parties involved. Certain types of vehicles, notably larger vehicles, pose greater safety risks to people walking and biking not only because they are heavier, but also because there are inherent blind spots. Actions for safe vehicles focus on safety features and designs for large vehicles and shared vehicles. In addition, actions for smaller vehicles will be necessary to maintain the high level service quality of fire, waste management, and delivery on streets where protected bikeways and other safety treatments may require operations to take place further from the curb.
Item | Action | Timeframe | Lead to Completion | Primary Support | Additional Support | Performance Metric |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
SV3 | Require that all new vehicles added to the City fleet beginning in 2021 have the latest crash reduction technology and safety equipment available. | Immediately | Department of Environmental Services | Department of Transportation & Parking | New Jersey Transit | New policy adopted |
SV5 | Purchase hose extensions and other equipment required to access hydrants on streets where operations will occur farther from the curb. | Immediately | Fire Department | City Council | None identified | Requisitions completed and equipment in place in one year. |
SV1 | Right-size city-owned vehicles by updating vehicle purchasing standards to ensure City phases smaller vehicles with the latest crash reduction and safety technology into its fleet where possible. | Within two years | Department of Environmental Services | Hoboken Fire Department | None identified | Updated vehicle purchasing standards |
SAFE BEHAVIORS
Safe road users are an important part of a safe road system, especially in the interim as the system is being built. Road users should, to the best of their ability, try to operate within the boundaries set by the road system designers. This can include wearing seatbelts, using helmets, and driving at or below the posted speeds. In Hoboken, Vision Zero will be more successful if it is supported and practiced by members of the public who understand the importance of Vision Zero measures and the role they play in ensuring safe streets. Actions for safe people prioritize education, awareness, and training as means to promote acceptance of Vision Zero and adherence to safer behaviors.
Item | Action | Timeframe | Lead to Completion | Primary Support | Additional Support | Performance Metric |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
SB17 | Implement a "Place of Last Drink Survey" to track where DUI offenders last obtained alcohol and analyze data to promote responsible practices in the sale of alcoholic beverages. | Immediately | Hoboken Police Department | None identified | None identified | Report summarizing the location of last drink in impaired driving crashes. |
SB24 | Develop relationships with community based partners and service providers to address contributing factors of crashes. | Immediately | Hoboken Housing Authority | None identified | None identified | None identified |
SB26 | Invest in communities of color and experiencing low income first. | Immediately | Department of Transportation & Parking | Hoboken Housing Authority | None identified | Report on annual investments |
SB27 | Prioritize road user safety over driver delay in operations and design decisions. | Immediately | Mayor's Office | Department of Transportation & Parking | None identified | New policy |
SB28 | Continue collaborating with Trauma Centers to encourage both crash victims and medical professionals to share their stories and build awareness of Vision Zero. | Immediately | Department of Transportation & Parking | Jersey City | Advocacy Community | Number of shared stories promoted through Vision Zero website. |
POST-CRASH INVESTIGATION & CARE
Severe crashes may still occur. And when they do, a rapid response by trained medical professionals is the final safety net to increase the probability that victims survive. Not only is on the scene care important, but it is also important to understand the long-term health and economic impacts on victims. After medical care has been provided, comprehensive investigation and communication actions can increase the City's understanding of the underlying causes of crashes at the scene and improve reporting to the public.
Item | Action | Timeframe | Lead to Completion | Primary Support | Additional Support | Performance Metric |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
PCI1 | Establish an interagency crash response team to review injury and fatal collision locations to identify and implement short term safety enhancements. | Immediately | Hoboken Police Department | Department of Transportation & Parking | City Engineer's Office | Crash response coordinator or team shall engage with City departments semiannually to collaborate on post-crash safety recommendations. |
PCI3 | Establish an interagency rapid response team to coordinate with victim families for services and ensure consistent data collection and sharing. | Immediately | Hoboken Police Department | None identified | None identified | Establishment of rapid response team. |
PCI5 | Develop a communications protocol for describing serious and fatal crashes in a timely way. | Immediately | Mayor's Office | Hoboken Police Department | None identified | None identified |
PCI6 | Evaluate current crash response protocol including deployment to scene, reporting and data analysis. | Immediately | Hoboken Police Department | Department of Transportation & Parking | None identified | Report Issued in one year. |
PCI4 | Update Fire Department EMT requirements to increase speed of post-crash care. | Immediately | Hoboken Fire Department | City Council | None identified | EMT training requirements updated. |
DATA DRIVEN DECISIONS
More than ever, data is both available and critical to ensuring the successful implementation of Vision Zero actions. By collecting data on traffic safety issues and frequently reassessing its Vision Zero performance against stated goals, Hoboken can better deliver on its promises to become a safe city for all.
Item | Action | Timeframe | Lead to Completion | Primary Support | Additional Support | Performance Metric |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
DDS1 | Regularly conduct speed surveys on high crash corridors to identify locations where prevailing speeds are in excess of 25 miles-per-hour. | Immediately | Department of Transportation & Parking | None identified | None identified | Semi-annual report of high speed locations for enforcement. |
DDS4 | Advocate for improved quality in statewide crash reporting to improve the ability to do aggregate crash analyses. | Immediately | Hoboken Police Department | None identified | None identified | Changes in crash forms to simplify and improve aggregate crash analysis. |
DDS6 | Establish a multi-departmental and multiagency committee to review crashes on County roads and potential solutions. | Immediately | Hoboken Police Department | Hudson County | None identified | Quarterly and as needed meetings to review crash reports and develop programs and projects to address them. |
DDS8 | Conduct annual road safety audits at high crash locations to identify contributing roadway factors and inform appropriate safety countermeasures. | Immediately | Department of Transportation & Parking | None identified | None identified | Number of road safety audits completed. |
DDS14 | Reform staff evaluation methods | Immediately | Mayor's Office | None identified | None identified | Change job descriptions and evaluation criteria to reflect success in advising projects from a systemic safety lens. |
DDS10 | Conduct annual data analysis of Vision Zero progress. | Within two years | Department of Transportation & Parking | Hoboken Police Department | None identified | City shall continue to use data collection to track progress against desired Vision Zero outcomes annually and shall update the Vision Zero Action Plan in five years. |
DDS15 | Regularly assess crash data, identify crash hot spots, and prioritize improvement areas. Use this information to inform budget appropriations or grant application priorities. | Within two years | Department of Transportation & Parking | City Engineer's Office | None identified | Number of Capital Improvement Projects with a safety component; funding for safety projects. |
DDS16 | Create a shared central location for Vision Zero Data to ensure access, consistency in reporting, data analysis, and research | Within two years | Department of Transportation & Parking | Hoboken Police Department | None identified | Develop a collaborative system so Vision Zero team has easy access to 311, trauma and Parking Utility reports. |
DDS20 | Create a process to pilot, evaluate, and make permanent innovative traffic safety projects or programs, such as shared space interventions, protected intersections, and others. | Within two years | Department of Transportation & Parking | City Engineer's Office | Hoboken Police Department | Number of demonstration or pilot projects evaluated; number of demonstration or pilot projects made permanent. |