WANT SAFER STREETS IN MONTCLAIR? THERE'S A PLAN (AND A PETITION) FOR THAT!
WANT SAFER STREETS IN MONTCLAIR? THERE'S A PLAN (AND A PETITION) FOR THAT!
Dear Montclair Street Users (A.K.A. All Of Us)
All the data says that complete streets are the most effective way of calming traffic and creating safer streets for all users. Montclair has a full complete streets implementation plan adopted into our master plan but today it has been ignored and unused by our leaders and decision-makers. Every time a street gets re-paved it is a chance and a golden opportunity to implement this plan. Unfortunately that has not been the case over the last few years when we had the chance to do so during the townwide and repaving. It is way past time for our leaders to consult this plan
Do you feel comfortable as a pedestrian or on a bike or any non-car mode of transportation in Montclair? Do you feel safe sending your children to ride or walk to school? Neither do we! From 2006-2020, there were over 600 pedestrian injuries, 14 fatalities and at least 22 incapacitating injuries in Montclair. During the same time, there were 149 bicyclist injuries with 2 incapacitating injuries.
Calls for increased police enforcement, speed limit changes or campaign posters and bumper magnets asking drivers to "slow down" are simply not getting it done. The answer to a tangible increase in the safety, walkability, bikability and all around livability of our streets, sidewalks and public spaces is in DESIGN. Design of the street mandates certain behaviors from it's users instead of asking for it.
Montclair has a plan called the Streets Are For Everyone (SAFE) Complete Street Plan that can bring that type of design to our streets formally adopted into our master plan waiting to be implemented, but unfortunately, despite a once in a generation chance to implement these complete street designs as we repave and re-stripe our entire town, our leaders have chosen to not implement any design recommendations as detailed in the SAFE plan. Zero change to design = zero change to our status quo of prioritizing the movement and storage of cars over people's safety. SAME STREET DESIGN - SAME STREET RESULTS
THE ASK: Please read through all the wonderful benefits of complete streets below and consider joining our campaign to put political pressure on our council, planning board and town manager. BY SIGNING THIS PETITION YOU ARE SENDING A CLEAR MESSAGE TO OUR LEADERS AND DECISION MAKERS THAT YOU WANT ACTION AND NOT JUST TALK WHEN IT COMES TO MAKING OUR STREETS SAFE. YOU ARE TELLING THEM LOUD AND CLEAR THAT WE WILL NOT ALLOW THEM TO LET THE PLAN WITH ALL THE STREET DESIGN OPTIONS TO CONTINUE TO SIT AND COLLECT DUST WHILE WE CONTINUE TO REPAVE AND RE-STRIPE OUR ENTIRE TOWN IN THE EXACT SAME WAY WE ALWAYS HAVE.
Click Below For Full SAFE Plan
SAFE / Complete Streets help make communities more vibrant and livable. SAFE/Complete Streets are streets that are focused on people not just vehicles. They prioritize pedestrian movement with improved sidewalks, safe intersections and crosswalks, ADA accessibility and bicycle facilities that enhance the safety and comfort of those who cycle. SAFE/Complete Streets have many benefits and are needed in Montclair because:
→ SAFE Streets make walking and bicycling safer for all users
→ SAFE Streets create more equitable communities
→ SAFE Streets help the environment
→ SAFE Streets are good for the economy
→ SAFE Streets support a healthy and active lifestyle
→ SAFE Streets help reduce traffic congestion
Walking and Bicycling Safety
→ Streets become safer by focusing on improving walking and bicycling. Pedestrian improvements, such as bump-outs, high-visibility crosswalks and dedicated bicycle facilities have a traffic calming effect on roadways.
Equitable Communities
→ SAFE Streets help create equitable communities by making it safer for lower-income populations who are more likely to walk or bike due to lack of access to cars.
→ The income of almost 7% of Montclair’s population is below the poverty level. → More than 10% of Montclair households have no access to cars and more than 40% have only one car available. In addition, more than 25% of 3 & 4 person households have access to one or no car1.
→ Multi-modal travel – such as walking and bicycling are the most affordable forms of transportation. According to AAA's Your Driving Costs (2015), a medium size sedan costs 79 cents per mile to own and operate based on driving 10,000 miles annually. By comparison, the League of American Bicyclists estimates that bicycling costs just 10 cents per mile. Walking costs (time and money) far outweigh the benefits.
Environment
→ Walking and bicycling help reduce the amount of gasoline consumed, as well as lower carbon emissions, directly improving air quality.
Economy
→ Active transportation can bring economic benefits to a community, including higher rates of spending in local businesses and an increase in property values.
→ Walkable and bikeable communities typically see an increase in property values. One study found that a 5 to 10 mph reduction in traffic speeds increased adjacent residential property values by roughly 20 percent.
→ When residents walk or bike to transit, they spend less money on driving and have extra disposable income to spend locally.
Health
→ Safe walking and bicycling options affects a community’s level of physical activity. Obesity, diabetes and other diseases have been linked to low levels of physical activity.
→ According to the Pedestrian and Bike Information center, “physical activity can help enhance mental health.
Traffic Congestion
→ Bicycling and walking for short trips help reduce traffic congestion.Every person that makes a trip by walking or bicycling is one less car on the streets and one fewer car seeking parking.
→ Montclair already has 2.9% of workers walking to work, and 0.6% biking to work; however, these numbers do not include commuters that walk or bicycle to the train station or bus stops. More than 25% take public transit to work.
→ Bicycles are allowed on the NJ Transit trains and the Bay Street station has the State’s first Bike Depot to provide safe parking options for bicyclists. All NJ Transit buses have bicycle racks, thus making it easier to make the first/last mile to transit biking-friendly.
SINCERELY,
MONTCLAIR CITIZENS FOR SAFER, MORE WALKABLE, MORE BIKABLE AND MORE LIVABLE STREETS