Hi B.H. neighbors!
We’re not asking for money this Giving Tuesday, just a few minutes of your time—to take our road safety survey and, if you want, to learn a little bit about Complete Streets and our task force. In fact, we'll be giving something back to you!
First, if you haven’t already done so, please share your experiences getting around Berkeley Heights as a driver, pedestrian, runner, cyclist, scooter user or whatever your preferred method of transportation is. And weigh in on what you would like to see in town to make our roads and sidewalks feel safer. If you enter the survey, you'll be entered in a drawing for gift cards to a local restaurant and a bike shop!
So What Are Complete Streets?
They are streets designed to be safe and convenient for everyone who needs and wants to use them!
An integrated network of Complete Streets balances everyone's needs. This allows all people to easily get to everyday destinations—such as schools, shops, restaurants, recreational activities, parks, transit and jobs—no matter what form of transportation they use. This can make a town more enjoyable to live in, improve its economic vitality, encourage residents to lead a more active and socially connected lifestyle and improve overall wellness in the community.
Complete Streets is not a one-size-fits-all approach. It allows a town to choose from researched, best-practice methods that fit the character, needs and aesthetics of the entire community and its individual neighborhoods.
Complete Streets programs consider elements like sidewalk quality, buffers between pedestrians and the road, crosswalk visibility, crossing signals. and "traffic calming" measures. Such measures encourage drivers to naturally follow speeds appropriate for conditions on individual roads. Traffic calming can reduce the chance of crashes, reduce the amount of time police departments need to spend on enforcement, improve the appearance of the streets and reduce "cut-through" traffic in residential neighborhoods.
What About Green Streets?
Integrated with Complete Streets, Green Streets can help prevent flooding—an important goal for our Township!—and reduce environmental pollution. Green Streets programs focus on stormwater management, using landscaped features that can soak up water rather than letting flow across pavement to pool in low-lying areas. Some of these features can also double as traffic calming methods or safety buffers for pedestrians.
Know anyone else interested in this topic? Share this email and/or have them reach out me at dnigrobh@gmail.com with questions or to be added to my mailing list!
Thank you for your time and have a safe week!
Dana Nigro