Hoboken Celebrates 7 Years Without A Traffic Death

HOBOKEN, NJ — Hoboken officials said Tuesday that the city has gone seven consecutive years without a traffic-related death.

The last traffic fatality in the mile-square city was in 2017.

Before that, according to state police statistics, the city had had one traffic death in each of 2015, 2016, and 2017, and none in 2014.

'Vision Zero' Improvements

The city has earned nationwide recognition for its ongoing Vision Zero safety improvement program, meant to eliminate all traffic-related deaths and injuries by 2030.

The Hoboken City Council adopted the "VisionZero Action Plan" in 2021, following Mayor Ravi Bhalla’s 2019 executive order designating Hoboken as a Vision Zero city to create safer streets.

The city has made major improvements and changes to the roadway including multi-way stops, high-visibility crosswalks, 15 MPH school zones, and more.

The city said that from 2022 to 2023, there was an 18 percent reduction in injury crashes, and a 62 percent reduction in serious injuries.

“We have now marked seven years since our last traffic death in Hoboken, making us one of the only U.S. cities to reach this milestone,” said Bhalla. “While deliberate action on everything from restriping high visibility crosswalks to implementing comprehensive road redesigns has aided our success we aren't stopping — we will continue to aggressively implement Vision Zero in every aspect of our major infrastructure projects.”

According to the crash analysis in thecity’s Vision Zero Action Plan, 10 street segments, including Willow Avenue from 14th Street to the Hoboken/Weehawken border, accounted for 40 percent of all injuries and deaths from 2014 through 2018.

What The City Did

Here are some of the changes meant to protect the public:

• Multi-way stops added to 14 intersections, including 6 identified as high crash intersections in the Vision Zero Action Plan

• 418 delineators installed to improve intersection visibility through daylighting at 31 percent of intersections citywide, including 65 intersections adjacent to a park, school, public housing, or senior building
• 61 crosswalks restriped with high visibility, long lasting markings
• 27 curb ramps upgraded to improve ADA accessibility
• 1 raised crosswalk installed to improve pedestrian visibility and slow vehicle speeds along Fifth Street at Stevens Park
• 15 MPH school zone speed limit designation added to 67 blocks in school zones to encourage slower vehicle speeds around K-12 schools
• 6 curb extensions installed to reduce crossing distances, improve intersection visibility, and slow vehicle turning speeds
• 3 curb extensions with green infrastructure installed around ResilienCity Park
• 15 blocks or approximately 0.87 miles of roadway resurfaced by the City of Hoboken and Hudson County

What's Next

The city said, "Hoboken will continue to iterate and expand on existing safety measures and implement additional upgrades to ensure the safety of all vulnerable road users."

This year, through a partnership with the County, the city will launch a public planning process for comprehensive Vision Zero upgrades to Willow Avenue from 11th Street to 16th Street, which is part of the city’s high-crash network.

Additionally, this year the city will begin construction of the Sinatra Drive Redesign Project, which will improve access and safety along the waterfront boulevard utilizing green infrastructure and targeted safety upgrades.

For more information on the City’s Vision Zero initiative, go to https://www.vzhoboken.com/.