23 people are killed in crashes at County roads on average every year

Every time Hudson County designs, rebuilds, or resurfaces a road, there should be a clear question:

What is the safest design that can reasonably be built here?

Too often, decisions about our streets can become a project-by-project debate. A safety treatment can be proposed, and then later questioned because someone prefers more parking, faster vehicle movement, less construction, or maintaining the way things have always been done.

We should not have to renegotiate the importance of safety every time a road project comes forward.

That is why Ron Bautista is proposing an ordinance for a Safety-First Street Design Standard for Hudson County.

The goal is simple: Make safety-first the standard, not a political negotiation.

A standard that applies from project to project

Hudson County has already committed to Vision Zero and the goal of eliminating roadway fatalities by 2034.

This proposed ordinance would take that commitment one step further by establishing a continuing County standard for how transportation projects are designed and evaluated.

Instead of asking on every individual project whether a safety treatment should be included, the County would establish standards for when proven safety measures should be incorporated.

Once a safety treatment is determined to be appropriate for the roadway condition, the presumption would be that it is included.

It would not be removed simply because someone prefers a different outcome.

Engineering should determine when safety standards do not apply

This does not mean every street gets the exact same treatment.

Roads are different. Intersections are different. Traffic patterns are different. Physical conditions are different.

That is why the proposal includes an engineering-based exception process.

A safety treatment could be omitted or modified when a documented, objective analysis shows that:

• it conflicts with federal or State law;
• it conflicts with an applicable engineering or accessibility requirement;
• it would create a documented safety risk;
• it is physically infeasible;
• it would create a documented operational condition that cannot reasonably be addressed through another design; or

In other words, the burden should be on demonstrating why a safety standard cannot safely be followed, not on residents having to fight for the standard every time.

Politics should not be able to override a safety standard

A street should not become less safe because one project has a particularly vocal constituency.

A safety treatment should not disappear because preserving parking is politically easier.

A safer design should not be rejected simply because someone prefers higher vehicle speeds or greater vehicle throughput.

This creates an important separation:

Politics can help determine priorities.

Engineering determines whether a safety standard can safely be applied.

That is how we create consistency across County projects.

What would the Safety-First Street Design Standard establish?

A presumption in favor of proven safety treatments.

When the relevant safety condition exists, applicable safety treatments would be incorporated into projects unless there is a documented reason they cannot safely or legally be used.

Safe speeds through street design.

The County would prioritize speed management through roadway design rather than relying solely on signs and enforcement.

Safety for everyone who uses our streets.

The standard would address pedestrians, bicyclists, transit riders, motorists, seniors, children, people with disabilities, and people who depend on walking and transit to get around.

Public accountability.

The County would publish an annual Safety-First Streets Report showing what projects were completed, where safety improvements were made, how much was invested, progress toward Vision Zero, and whether the County is on track to meet its goals.

Why I am proposing this

As a County Commissioner, I believe our job is not simply to identify problems.

Our job is to build systems that make good decisions easier and bad decisions harder.

If we believe a particular safety treatment is appropriate for a particular roadway condition, residents should not have to organize from scratch every time that road is redesigned.

We should establish the standard once, apply it consistently, and allow departures from that standard only when there is a legitimate, documented engineering, safety, legal, or physical reason.

That is what it means to make Safety First more than a slogan.

Help shape the proposal

This is a proposal we're bringing forward, and we want to hear from the people who use Hudson County streets every day.

• What safety improvements do you believe should become standard?
• What should the County's engineering review and exception process require?
• What would make you confident that safety decisions are being made consistently rather than project by project?

Sign this petition to show your support for establishing a Safety-First Street Design Standard in Hudson County and share your feedback.

Together, we can build a transportation system where safety is the standard, engineering provides the evidence, and politics does not get to renegotiate the protection of human life project by project.

Safety First. For All Road Users. Every Project.