Walking is one of the healthiest and most sustainable forms of transportation, and having a safe walking environment can significantly boost a community’s livability. One way a municipality can improve pedestrian safety is by conducting a Street Smart NJ campaign.
What is Street Smart NJ?
Street Smart NJ is a public awareness and behavioral change pedestrian safety campaign. Since its creation in 2013, more than 140 communities have held campaigns.
The campaign emphasizes educating drivers, pedestrians and bicyclists through mass media, as well as targeted enforcement. Police officers focus on engaging and educating, rather than simply issuing citations. This program complements, but doesn’t replace, other state and local efforts to build safer streets and sidewalks (such as Complete Streets), enforce laws and train better roadway users.
How does a municipality implement a campaign?
RideWise coordinates local campaigns for Somerset County municipalities. Communities interested in conducting a campaign should contact RideWise at (908) 704-1011. RideWise serves as the lead organization in Somerset County for the campaign, working with a variety of stakeholders such as the police, public health workers, schools, pedestrian/bicycle groups, and elected officials. To view the reports from past Somerset County campaigns, click on the towns in the column to the right, titled “Street Smart Campaigns.”
