The North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority (NJTPA) recently released its plan for creating a walking and biking network in northern and central New Jersey.
The Active Transportation Plan aligns with other NJTPA programs including those that promote multimodal safety, complete streets, and transit oriented development.
The plan outlines five principles: safety, connectivity, opportunity, participation, and engagement.
The plan includes a conceptual network of more than 1,700 miles of roadways recommended for walking and biking improvements. A half-mile buffer along the roadways would assist in identifying possible low-stress alternatives to high-demand, high-stress routes.
More than 5.6 million people live within one mile of the proposed network.
A strategy guide is included in the plan to help cities and towns implement the recommendations. It outlines actions and strategies in multiple categories including capacity building, community engagement, coordination, data collection, equity, and funding.
Public engagement will included pop-up events where the project team will encourage discussion and participation in an online survey and web map. Feedback will be used to understand residents’ preferences and the challenges they face when walking and biking.
In addition, the plan also includes two case studies, focusing on roads, and a third case study on best practices for designing active transportation infrastructure.