New 20 MPH Speed Limit Takes Effect In Hoboken

HOBOKEN, NJ — The city of Hoboken began installing new signage and striping this week to remind residents of the new citywide speed limit in Hoboken, reduced to 20 MPH from 25 as of Wednesday.

The City Council approved the change in July, and Mayor Ravi Bhalla signed it into law the same month.

Hoboken, a densely populated mile-square city across the river from Manhattan, is a tight grid with buses that run from one end of town to the other, and constant foot and bicycle traffic.

The reduced speed limit aims to make streets safer for all modes of transportation, the city said.

Few Pedestrian Deaths

Even when traffic accidents occur, a reduced speed limit lessens the severity of the injuries, the city noted.

Since 2014, the city has alternated between 0 and 1 traffic deaths each year. The city had not had a traffic-related pedestrian death since 2017.

In 2019, the city began implementing its Vision Zero goal to eliminate all traffic-related deaths and injuries by 2030.

New Signs And Stripes

On Wednesday, the city began to install eight speed feedback signs at gateways to Hoboken.

The city will replace 25 MPH limit signs with 20, and the county of Hudson will restripe portions of Willow Avenue to convert existing 25 MPH pavement markings to 20 MPH.

Police officers will be on site to mitigate temporary traffic impacts on Willow Avenue.

The city said, Reducing the citywide speed limit is recommended in the City’s Vision Zero Action Plan and is part of the 'safe systems approach' used to reduce traffic injuries and deaths on public streets."

Bhalla said, "A citywide 20 MPH speed limit is the latest commitment we are making to ensure our streets are safer for residents and visitors of all ages and abilities."

The rollout will include new signage and educational initiatives to help inform drivers and improve compliance rates through a partnership with the Hoboken Police Department and Hudson County Sheriff’s Department.

Hoboken Public Safety Director Ken Ferrante said there would be an enforcement campaign at the city's borders with Weehawken and Jersey City.

"The education campaign and our new stationary speed signs on the eight entry points to the city, will go a long way in calming the traffic and protecting pedestrian, driver, and cyclist lives," Ferrante said. "An enforcement campaign will then be introduced on the north and south ends of our city, where the Hoboken Police Department and Hudson County Sheriff’s Department will collaborate to ensure that drivers are operating at safe speeds."

Read statistics on traffic deaths in Jersey City, Hoboken, and Hudson County since 2014 here.

For more information on the City's Vision Zero initiative, go to www.vzhoboken.com.