In an effort to increase pedestrian safety throughout New Jersey, the North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority (NJTPA) is launching the Street Smart campaign. The program, conducted in partnership with the Federal Highway Administration, the New Jersey Department of Transportation and the New Jersey Division of Highway Safety, will encourage both drivers and pedestrians to “check your vital signs”.
“Whether you’re walking, driving, or cycling, check your vital signs – speed limit and stop signs, crosswalks, walk and don’t walk signals,” said Mary K. Murphy, Executive Director of NJTPA, at the kickoff event at the New Jersey Institute of Technology. “If everyone heeded these critical signs, crashes would be prevented and lives saved. The message may be simple, but it is vitally important.”
The Street Smart pilot program will initially be conducted in Newark, Hackettstown, Jersey City, and Woodbridge in November 2013, with a similar program beginning in Long Beach Island this summer. Through advertising, grass-roots public outreach, and law enforcements efforts, focus will be placed on three points:
- Education – ensuring all road users (drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists) know and understand their role and responsibilities for sharing the road safely.
- Enforcement – employing best practices in an effort to engage and educate, not simply issuing citations.
- Evaluation – assessing the effectiveness of the campaign and its messages by surveying drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists.
