Hoboken to Approach 80 Percent Bike Network Coverage

Adding to an impressive slate of cyclist and pedestrian improvements, Hoboken plans to stripe 10 additional miles of Class II bike lanes, toward a bike network that will cover close to 80 percent of the city's streets.

The Hoboken City Council unanimously approved the new lane miles on Wednesday night. Said Mayor Dawn Zimmer in a statement: "By slowing down traffic, bike lanes make streets safer for everyone including drivers and pedestrians, and this lays an even stronger foundation for our ongoing pedestrian safety efforts."

The new lane miles are part of Hoboken's comprehensive bike and pedestrian plan, introduced last year. Other recent initiatives include a car-sharing program, incentives for residents to give up their cars; and a 20's Plenty safe driving campaign.

According to the statement, Hoboken currently has 4.5 miles of bike lanes, including 0.34 miles of a Class I, 2.1 miles of Class II and 2.1 miles of Class III lanes. In addition to the 10 new miles of Class II lanes, 9.7 miles of sharrows will be painted on narrower streets. Add it up, and almost 80 percent of the city's 32 street miles will feature some type of cycling designation.

"I expect not many other cities have statistics like that," spokesperson Juan Melli told Streetsblog, "and hopefully it encourages others to follow suit."