The City of Paterson, New Jersey, participated in the 2024-2025 North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority (NJTPA) Complete Streets Technical Assistance (CSTA) Program. This report identifies several recommendations to promote walking and bicycling as a means of travel and improve the pedestrian experience along a section of McBride Avenue (County Route 639) in Paterson between Paterson Great Falls Historic Park and a closed pedestrian bridge across the Passaic River. According to City officials, vehicular traffic volumes and speeds have created safety concerns, especially for those walking and bicycling. Paterson wants to make it easier for residents to travel around town without relying on vehicles. As part of the “Walk to a Park Campaign,” the City established its mission to provide a great park within a 10-minute walk of every resident. In anticipation of future rehabilitation and reopening of the pedestrian bridge, improvements to McBride Avenue will provide residents with safe and direct access to Westside Park. The City also wishes to continue to invest in the infrastructure around the Great Falls to help attract visitors.
This report calls for: adopting a Complete Streets policy or ordinance; providing and maintaining high- quality pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure; adopting traffic-calming interventions such as enhanced pedestrian crosswalks with curb extensions and pedestrian refuge islands; adding lighting and pedestrian amenities; addressing deficiencies in signage and striping; and addressing quality of life concerns such as littering and dumping. The recommendations in this report were developed through a Walkable Community Workshop (WCW) that was held on August 21, 2024, which is a collaborative effort with municipal employees and City stakeholders.
The McBride Avenue corridor under consideration is a county roadway located west of downtown Paterson, adjacent to the Passaic River. The river and topography of the area result in McBride Avenue being an important connector for all roadway users. In addition, the closure of a pedestrian bridge over the river has resulted in McBride Avenue being a primary walking route to John F. Kennedy High School and Westside Park. As part of the “Walk to a Park Campaign,” the City established its mission to provide a great park within a 10-minute walk of every resident. Improvements to this corridor will help to advance this goal by providing residents along the project route with safe and direct pedestrian access to Westside Park via the pedestrian bridge over the Passaic River. The City also wishes to continue to invest in the infrastructure around the Great Falls to help attract visitors (Figure 2).
While some of the recommendations are specific to the study area, takeaways from the workshop can be applied to other roadways in Paterson. The field audit form and a list of potential funding resources can be found in this report’s appendices. These resources can be used to conduct other walk audits within the City.
Read full report: Paterson: McBride Avenue Walkable Community Workshop (2025)
