Improving Pedestrian Safety, One Post-It At A Time

Hunched over a drawing of the intersection at Hudson and Newark Streets, looking pensive and sporadically writing down ideas on yellow post-its, members of the public, some city directors and the mayor mingled during a brainstorming session about pedestrian safety Monday night. The meeting, which was held at the Multi Service Center, centered on a plan to improve pedestrian safety at that particularly congested intersection. 

The city has a $240,000 grant to improve the area (of which 10 percent goes to the Federal government, said Director of Transportation and Parking Ian Sacs). Monday night's public meeting was the first step. 

It'll be another year until the plan starts, said Joseph Pomante, of Boswell Engineering. 

"It's not something I'm used to," Pomante said about the public brainstorming session. "I like it. This doesn't happen in suburbia."

Both Pomante and Sacs said that public input helps the plan. 

The high volume of cars and pedestrians, all traveling in the direction of the PATH station, cause the intersection to be particularly unsafe, said Sacs.

Mayor Dawn Zimmer, who did not want to share the ideas she wrote down on the post-its, said that meetings like these are supposed to "change the public process." 

After the meeting, the large map covered in yellow sticky notes was—carefully—rolled up, to be reviewed by Sacs and his team. In a couple of months, there will be another public session, Sacs said.

Although the grant, which was earmarked by U.S. Senator Bob Menendez, will not cure all ills at that intersection, Sacs said, it will be able to improve the safety, while keeping the area "aesthetically pleasing."