NJ Future Gives NJDOT Complete Streets Implementation an Incomplete.

NJ Future, a statewide planning advocacy organization, has just completed a report examining progress made in the state since the implementation of its 2009 Complete Streets Policy. From the report:

"Overall, the Department has made good progress implementing its Complete Streets policy to date, but because of the lack of completed projects carried out under the program, it is impossible to make a definitive statement about how the policy has affected projects on the ground. Successful implementation of Complete Streets is about more than creating new review processes or establishing checklists; it requires changing the institutional philosophy of how the Department thinks about roads..."

The study looked at several current and recently completed construction projects in South Jersey. Technically none of them are required to comply with the policy since they were in the pipeline well before 2009, but the state has modified its design process to give complete streets treatments a higher priority. The result has been a mixed bag for sidewalks, signals and crosswalks. Bike lanes, however, are noticeably absent.

The report cites the exemption of resurfacing projects, which can create miles of bike lanes in a hurry, as a major flaw in the policy. It also notes that the state controls only 10% of the roads and that an effective complete streets policy needs to include the entire roadway network in order to create measurable system-wide improvements.

Go to the report.

Curb cuts and pedestrian signals but no sidewalks on US 130 in Cinnaminson, cited as the most dangerous road for pedestrians in the state.