In June 2021, RideWise partnered with the Borough of North Plainfield and the North Plainfield Police Department to conduct a Street Smart NJ pedestrian safety campaign. This campaign was the second Street Smart campaign conducted in North Plainfield (the first conducted in 2016) and focused on two target locations: Somerset Street and Race Street, and Somerset Street and Chatham Street. A speed study was conducted simultaneously along Greenbrook Road using RideWise’s speed sentry.
The campaign resulted in:
- A 26 percent decrease in pedestrians crossing mid-block at target location 1
- A 8 percent increase in pedestrians using the crosswalk at target location 2
- A speed study revealing the average speed traveled along Greenbrook Road: 31-36 mph (14,613 drivers).
- 148 English survey responses and 5 Spanish survey responses across both pre- and post-campaign surveys. The surveys revealed:
- A decrease in unsafe behavior sightings after the campaign.
- A slight increase in awareness of the Street Smart message.
- That all survey respondents use cars for transportation on a weekly basis, and many also walk and bike for transportation.
- That most survey respondents feel distracted driving and pedestrians disobeying traffic laws are extremely serious problems in North Plainfield.
- A change in opinion on speeding between the pre- and post-campaign surveys; Pre-campaign, most English survey respondents said speeding was not at all serious, but after the campaign felt speeding was an extremely serious issue. Conversely, most pre-campaign Spanish survey respondents felt speeding was extremely serious, but post-campaign they were evenly split between feeling neutral and feeling speeding was not at all serious.
North Plainfield’s business community helped spread the Street Smart message through displaying flyers in windows and offering tip cards and coffee cup sleeves. Bruce Heyman, president of the North Plainfield Business Association, assisted in outreach by delivering Street Smart signage and materials to numerous businesses along Somerset Street. The North Plainfield Police also conducted outreach, posting Street Smart signs in English and Spanish at every block on Somerset Street.
To read the full report, visit our website. To hold a Street Smart campaign or speed study in your community, contact us at staff@ridewise.org or 908-704-1011.
