September 25, 2019

Community invited to meeting on protected bike lanes on October 3

Mayor Ravi S. Bhalla and the City of Hoboken are planning for the installation of over two miles of protected bike lanes in Hoboken on Clinton Street, Grand Street, Jefferson Street, and 11th Street as a part of Hoboken’s Vision Zero campaign. All members of the community are invited to join a community meeting on Thursday, October 3 at 7:00 pm at Wallace School (1100 Willow Avenue) to go over proposed designs for the protected bike lanes, presented by Hoboken’s Director of Transportation and Parking. Community members will also be provided the opportunity to provide input on the proposed plans.

Benefits of protected bike lanes (PBLs) include:

Reduced injury rates: PBLs reduced pedestrian injury rates by up to 52% in NYC due to shorter crossing distances, reductions in traffic weaving, and more controlled turning movements.
Safer streets for everyone: PBLs reduce crossing distances for pedestrians, make drivers feel more comfortable because they improve bicyclists’/escooter riders predictability, and residents feel safer because streets are calmed with narrower lanes and slower traffic speeds. In NYC, crashes resulting in injuries for all modes decreased by 40% on average after PBLs were installed.  
Reduced sidewalk riding: 90% of e-scooter riders who rode on the sidewalk in Hoboken indicated they would be more likely to ride in the street if a PBL existed; in NYC, immediately after PBLs were installed the number of bikes riding on the sidewalk fall by an average of 56% despite increases in volume of bicyclists riding through the corridor
Increase in sales for small businesses: Research has shown that business increases after the installation of protected bike lanes. The NYC Department of Transportation cited a 49% increase in business after implementing protected bike lanes on 9th Avenue

Earlier this year, Mayor Bhalla signed an executive order establishing Hoboken’s Vision Zero program to eliminate all traffic fatalities and injuries by 2030.