2023 NJ Complete Streets Summit Award Winners
Complete Streets Champion Awards
Complete Street Champion Awards are given to individuals, groups, or teams that have demonstrated commitment to advancing Complete Streets in their communities. This year’s recipients were:
- Shereyl Snider & the East Trenton Collaborative are awarded for their neighborhood traffic safety audit that led to the Inspired Safe Streets – East Trenton Neighborhood project. This project will address some of the issues identified in the audit.
- Tyler Cenci, a high school student and resident of Cranbury, was awarded for his work to improve bicycling conditions in Cranbury by developing and facilitating Cranbury Township’s first annual “Tour de Cranbury” as his Eagle Scout project. Tyler worked with municipal officials to establish a new, annual bicycle ride for all ages and abilities, including youth, families, and experienced riders.
Safe Routes to School Champion Award
- Jennifer Duckworth was recognized as a Safe Routes to School Champion thanks to her work to improve bicycling and walking conditions in Millburn. She coordinated the Tour de Millburn and helped Millburn achieve NJ Safe Routes to School Recognition Program gold award status at all Millburn schools.
Complete Streets Excellence Awards
Complete Streets Excellence Awards are given to municipalities, organizations, or projects that have demonstrated excellence in Complete Streets implementation. This year’s recipients were:
- Middlesex County is the first county in New Jersey to adopt a countywide Vision Zero plan. The action plan identifies crash locations, maps high-injury corridors, documents existing programs, and proposes a series of actions designed to promote crash prevention through engineering, education, encouragement, enforcement, continual evaluation, and partnerships.
- In 2020, Mercer County released a Bicycle Master Plan. The plan provides guidance for the county to implement bicycle facility installations and improvements during routine resurfacing, and the county now regularly implements Complete Streets improvements when appropriate during these projects.
- Asbury Park has implemented many of the recommendations of its 2019 Walking & Biking Plan, funded by NJDOT. The city has added bike lanes along corridors outlined in the plan. In 2021, Asbury Park launched an electric scooter share program and in 2022, received a Federal Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP) grant to provide streetscape improvements along Main Street and Deal Lake Drive. Asbury Park has also engaged the community with demonstration projects such as pop-up bike lanes.
- Jersey City adopted a Vision Zero Action Plan in 2018 with a goal of eliminating roadway fatalities by 2026. The city has since completed or made progress on 50 out of the plan’s 77 action items. By following this plan, Jersey City successfully achieved zero deaths on local roads in 2022 by quickly implementing proven safety countermeasures at high crash risk locations. As of March 2023, Jersey City has implemented 679 speed humps, 183 No Turn on Red restrictions, added new curb extensions to over 100 intersections, and striped 19 miles of protected bike lanes.
- Trenton worked with the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission (DVRPC) to produce meaningful public outreach for the “Our Streets” Trenton Bike Plan. The plan proposes adding bicycle facilities and making design changes on certain streets to increase safety for all road users – including bicyclists, skaters, scooters, pedestrians, and drivers. Additionally, the project engaged the East Trenton Collaborative and City of Trenton staff in the public works department to host three “Our Streets” public engagement events. At these events, pop-up protected bike lanes or cycle tracks were installed so people could see what the recommendations would look like on the ground.
Municipalities with New Complete Streets Policies
- City of Atlantic City
- Township of Belleville
- City of Bordentown
- Borough of Bradley Beach
- Township of Cranford
- Township of Florence
- Borough of Glen Ridge
- Township of Holmdel
- Township of Lawrence
- City of Plainfield
- City of Pleasantville
- City of Trenton
- Township of Washington
This year’s Complete Streets Champion Awards are being presented in honor of Jay DiDomenico, the long-serving Executive Director of the Hudson Transportation Management Association, who passed away in 2022. Jay was a Champion for Complete Streets and for Safe Routes to School. Whether he was leading students on a Walk to School Day with Buster the Walking School Bus, training PE teachers on-bike for safety education programs, helping children learn to ride, or organizing Shakespeare in the Park-ing Spot to show people the benefits of public spaces with fewer cars, Jay led by example. He embraced innovative approaches and new ideas, engaging with the community to educate and inspire change. Jay had a gift for communication, and it didn’t matter if he was speaking to a Kindergarten class or addressing professionals at a national conference, he always captivated his audience with his sense of humor and infectious enthusiasm. Jay’s work as Director of Hudson TMA and a Complete Streets Champion exemplified what a small but mighty organization – and a truly caring individual – can accomplish for all New Jerseyans. He is deeply missed.
