For 7 years, in a city of almost 60,000 inhabitants, no traffic deaths have been recorded. This is Hoboken, New Jersey, becoming a national model for road safety.
Agnes Accera, 89, was the last pedestrian to die, in January 2017. The man was crossing Washington Street in the bustling downtown business district when the crash occurred.
Mayor Ravi Bhalla attended her wake and said her death inspired him to fight for greater security.
“I felt it was not acceptable,” Bhalla said, according to the AP. “Our seniors, to whom we owe the greatest duty of safety, should be able to pass through that street in the safest way possible. That they killed her was a trigger that we needed to take action.”
Bhalla became mayor in 2018 and the city fully committed to Vision Zero: a set of guidelines adopted by numerous cities, states and nations seeking to eliminate traffic deaths. Proponents believe that no accident is truly inevitable and even want to eliminate the word “accident” altogether when describing road deaths.
Sweden originated the concept more than a quarter-century ago, and US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg touted Hoboken in 2022 when he announced his department would follow Vision Zero guidelines.
Major U.S. cities, including New York, Minneapolis, San Francisco, Baltimore and Portland, Oregon, have integrated aspects of the program into their security plans, including at least some form of daylighting, the term for eliminating parking spaces near intersections to improve visibility.
Hoboken’s keys to not registering traffic deaths in 7 years
- Lower speed limits
- Staggered traffic lights
- Natural lighting
- Cordon off street corners to widen sidewalks and shorten crosswalks when roads need to be repaved.
- Bicycle carrier
“There really isn’t a silver bullet or something magical and innovative that we’ve cracked the code on,” says Ryan Sharp, the city’s transportation director. “Our approach has been more to focus on the fundamentals. “We have created a program where we are layering these things year after year.”
Joe Picolli, who opened Hoboken Barber Shop on Washington Street in 2018, said sidewalk extensions, or potholes, have made it difficult for downtown merchants to regain business lost during the pandemic.
“Before the hits, there were a lot more buses, a lot more cars, a lot more parking,” said Picolli, who lives in Point Pleasant, New Jersey, and sometimes has to follow street sweepers to find parking. “It’s good in terms of people walking down the street, but it’s bad because you don’t get the flow from other cities.”
“We’re not New York City, but we’re not a suburb either.”
Although slightly larger than its Mile Square City nickname would imply, Hoboken ranks fourth nationally in population density, behind three other New Jersey cities and two spots ahead of New York, according to data from the 2022 census.
While the compact size means everyone is within reach of public transport, cars still crowd main streets and sidewalks.
“We’re not New York City, but we’re not a suburb either,” said Tammy Peng, who has lived in Hoboken for more than 15 years. “We’re kind of weird in the middle. Many families have a car because they want to run errands on the weekend, but from Monday to Friday they travel to the city.”
While daylight slightly lengthens his trips to soccer practice or the grocery store, Peng said it’s much easier to spot pedestrians crossing the street.
Overall death numbers have remained largely unchanged since New York joined the Vision Zero movement in 2014 with a plan that included expanding some restrictions. Mayor Eric Adams boosted the city’s commitment in November, promising to light up 1,000 intersections each year.
Some cities have even used this practice to beautify their urban centers. Baltimore hired artists to liven up sidewalk extensions with geometric shapes and vibrant colors.
States are also embracing natural lighting. More than 40 had enacted some type of daylighting law when the California Legislature passed a new state rule in 2023 that prohibits parking within 20 feet (6 meters) of an intersection. Cities can set shorter distances if they prove their plans are safe. Violators began receiving warnings in January and will face fines starting early next year.
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