Seven Municipalities Selected for Complete Streets Assistance

Seven municipalities will receive technical assistance for complete streets projects ranging from workshops on walkability to bicycle network plans, conceptual designs and complete streets policies, the North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority (NJTPA) announced today. The municipalities selected through the competitive application process are:

• Bergen County: Oakland Borough – Complete and Green Streets for All Policy
• Essex County: Belleville Township – Temporary Demonstration Project Guidance
• Middlesex County: Dunellen Borough - Complete and Green Streets for All Policy
• Ocean County: Seaside Heights Borough – Walkable Community Workshop
• Passaic County: City of Passaic – Complete Streets Conceptual Renderings
• Somerset County: Bound Brook Borough – Walkable Community Workshop
• Union County: City of Plainfield – Bicycle Corridor or Network Plan

“Complete streets are not only safer, especially for walkers and bicyclists, but they’re also a part of a healthy, equitable community where residents and visitors have options for how to get around,” said NJTPA Chair John W. Bartlett, a Passaic County Commissioner. “This program will help these municipalities move their complete streets visions closer to reality.”

Sustainable Jersey and the Alan M. Voorhees Transportation Center at Rutgers University provide the technical assistance, which the NJTPA funds with federal transportation dollars. Since every municipality has different needs, the program provides technical assistance to help advance complete streets by documenting existing conditions, exploring potential improvements and providing recommendations. Each municipality selected the type of preferred assistance when applying to the program. This includes:

• Bicycle Corridor or Network Plan: To help identifying specific routes and road treatments to improve bicycling infrastructure
• Complete Streets Conceptual Rendering: To prepare graphic renderings to help visualize potential improvements to streetscapes or public spaces
• Temporary Demonstration Project Guidance: To provide guidance on the design and installation of pedestrian safety or bicycle infrastructure temporary safety measures
• Walkable Community Workshop: A workshop and audit of up to a half-mile of street to identify potential pedestrian and bicycle improvements
• Complete and Green Streets for All Guidance: Assistance in the development of a complete streets policy or the update of an existing policy to align with the 2020 New Jersey Department of Transportation Complete and Green Streets for All Policy

“It is valuable for municipalities to receive hands-on guidance to move their complete streets projects forward. Complete and green streets have numerous safety, environmental, equity and health benefits,” said Randall Solomon, executive director of Sustainable Jersey. “This work is an important element in the comprehensive sustainability programs of our communities and contributes to our mission to create a more sustainable New Jersey.”

Complete streets are designed for all users, all modes of transportation and all ability levels. They balance the needs of drivers, people walking and biking, transit riders, emergency responders and goods movement, based on local context.

Improving safety is also a key goal of this program. “Roadway fatalities across New Jersey and the nation have been increasing, especially among people walking and bicycling. We are thrilled to assist communities with complete streets projects that will provide recommendations on making their roadways safer,” said Jon A. Carnegie, Executive Director of the Alan M. Voorhees Transportation Center.

This is the third time the NJTPA is offering technical assistance to municipalities in its region. Eight projects were completed in 2020 and nine projects were completed in 2019. The final reports are available on NJTPA’s complete streets webpage.