Skip to Content
Streetsblog New York City home
Streetsblog New York City home
Log In
Streetsblog

Proof From Jersey That Laws Protecting Crosswalks Don’t Endanger Peds

New Jersey is becoming a safer place to walk and bike, new data shows. The state has seen an eight percent decline in traffic fatalities, according to preliminary crash statistics for the year, and the trend is particularly encouraging for pedestrians and cyclists, writes Michelle Ernst at Mobilizing the Region:

nj_sting.jpgA New Jersey police officer on a "crosswalk sting." Photo: Mobilizing the Region

What’s most striking about the statistics is the victim classificationbreak down. A 25 percent decline in bicycle and pedestrian fatalitiesmakes up the entire year-to-date reduction in statewide trafficfatalities.

While passenger and driver fatality rates are unchanged, bicyclist fatalities dropped from 10 to 7 and pedestrian fatalities
dropped from 106 to 80, compared to the same period last year. Ernst discusses the role some statewide legal reforms may have played in the reduction:

Obviously there isn’t enough data to show causality between the declinein fatalities and New Jersey’s recently passed law requiring drivers to“stop and stay stopped” for pedestrians in crosswalks, or the ensuing crackdown on motorists who fail to yield. But the numbers certainly help allay concerns that the law would increase pedestrian fatalities by emboldening people to -- horror! -- cross the street.

Also on the Network, Grist explains how Ryan Rzepecki's "Social Bicycle" bike-sharing system works; Austin Two Wheels makes the case for bicycle infrastructure using data from New York City; and Dead Horse Times calls for "micro-routes" to help fill the void left by the elimination of a bus route in Portland.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog New York City

Tech Could Speed Up City Transportation Projects: Report

Current technology could shorten reviews from months to a few hours, one expert said.

November 6, 2024

Q&A: On the Front Lines of America’s ‘Long War to Take Back Streets’

Streetsblog chats with author Nicole Gelinas, whose new book, "Movement," is a deep dive into all the ways our cities have been destroyed by cars.

November 6, 2024

Opinion: Clean Trucks Will Save Lives — If Gov. Hochul Stays the Course

With each truck that rumbles through our communities, families are exposed to unsafe levels of diesel soot and tailpipe pollution.

November 6, 2024

Reining in Deliverista Distances is the Key to Safety

A mileage fee on food deliveries can serve workers as well as the society of which they’re a part. What are we waiting for? 

November 5, 2024

State Now Considering Car-Free Connector Next To Cross-Bronx Expwy Instead of Covert Highway

Perhaps all of the local outrage over building a parallel highway to the Cross Bronx is working?

November 5, 2024
See all posts