Sponsored by:
Assemblyman ROBERT J. KARABINCHAK
District 18 (Middlesex)
Assemblywoman MILA M. JASEY
District 27 (Essex and Morris)
Assemblyman DANIEL R. BENSON
District 14 (Mercer and Middlesex)
Co-Sponsored by:
Assemblymen Giblin, Spearman and Assemblywoman Lopez
SYNOPSIS
Establishes “New Jersey Vision Zero Commission.”
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As reported by the Assembly Transportation and Independent Authorities Committee on October 17, 2022, with amendments.
An Act establishing the “New Jersey Vision Zero 1[Task Force”] Commission”1 and supplementing Title 27 of the Revised Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. a. There is established in, but not of, the Department of Transportation, the “New Jersey Vision Zero 1[Task Force] Commission1.”
b. The 1[task force] commission1 shall consist of 1[21] nine1 members, as follows:
(1) the Commissioner of Transportation, ex officio, or the commissioner’s designee;
(2) the Superintendent of State Police, ex officio, or the superintendent’s designee;
(3) the Commissioner of Health, ex officio, or the commissioner’s designee;
(4) the Commissioner of Community Affairs, ex officio, or the commissioner’s designee;
(5) the Chief Administrator of the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission, ex officio, or the chief administrator’s designee;
(6) the Director of the Office of Environmental Justice in the Department of Environmental Protection, ex officio, or the director’s designee;
(7) the Executive Director of the New Jersey Transit Corporation, ex officio, or the executive director’s designee;
(8) the Executive Director of the North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority, ex officio, or the executive director’s designee; 1and1
(9) the Executive Director of the South Jersey Transportation Planning Organization, ex officio, or the executive director’s designee1[;
(10) a New Jersey resident appointed by the Executive Director of the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission;
(11) a representative of the Department of Transportation with expertise in bicycle and pedestrian programs, who shall be designated by the Commissioner of Transportation;
(12) two members of the Senate, one of whom shall be appointed by the Senate President and one of whom shall be appointed by the Minority Leader of the Senate, which members shall not be of the same political party;
(13) two members of the
General Assembly, one of whom shall
be appointed by the Speaker of the General Assembly and one of whom shall be appointed by the Minority Leader of the General Assembly, which members shall not be of the same political party; and
(14) six public members appointed by the Governor, of which one or more of the following shall be represented: a group representing vulnerable road users; a New Jersey resident that was injured or lost a family member in a traffic crash; a community that has been burdened by environmental justice issues; a person representing people with mobility, visual, or cognitive impairments; a New Jersey Transit Corporation bus rider; a person representing people between the ages of 16 and 26 who is interested and active in creating safer roadways for vulnerable road users; a person representing people over the age of 65 who is interested and active in creating safer roadways for vulnerable road users]1.
1[c. Each public member of the task force shall serve for a term of three years, except that, of the members first appointed, two members shall serve for an initial term of one year, two members shall serve for an initial term of two years, and two members shall serve for an initial term of three years. Each member shall serve for the term of appointment until the member’s successor is appointed. A public member who has completed a term of membership may be reappointed to the task force. Vacancies in the task force shall be filled in the same manner as the original appointments were made.]1
1[d.] c.1 The 1[members of the task force shall be appointed within 60 days after the effective date of this act, and the task force] commission1 shall hold its initial 1[organizational]1 meeting as soon as practicable, but no later than 30 days after the 1[appointment of a majority of its members] effective date of P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill)1. The chairperson of the 1[task force] commission1 shall be 1[selected by a majority of the membership of the task force] the Commissioner of Transportation1, and the 1[task force] commission1 shall meet no less than twice per year at such places and times as the chairperson may designate. The chairperson may appoint a secretary who need not be a member of the 1[task force] commission1.
1[e. Members of the task force shall serve without compensation, but may be reimbursed for travel and other necessary expenses incurred in the performance of their duties, within the limits of funds appropriated or otherwise made available to the task force for its purposes] d. The commission shall consult with policy experts in the fields of bicycle and pedestrian safety, mobility, visual or cognitive impairments, and motor vehicle accidents for expertise and input1.
1[f.] e.1 The Department of Transportation shall provide professional, stenographic, and clerical staff to the 1[task force] commission1, as may be necessary for the 1[task force] commission1 to carry out its duties. The 1[task force] commission1 shall also be entitled to call upon the services of any State, county, or municipal department, board, commission, or agency, as may be available to it for its purposes.
2. a. For the purposes of this section:
“Active transportation” means mobility options powered primarily by human energy, including pedestrian mobility, such as walking and running; mobility assistive devices, such as wheelchairs, bicycles, and cycles; and small personal devices, such as skateboards and foot scooters, and that consider and address accommodations pursuant to the “Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990” (42 U.S.C. s.12101 et seq.).
“Safe system approach” means evaluating traffic safety and designing a transportation system with the goal of eliminating fatal and serious injuries for all road users by acknowledging that: traffic deaths and serious injuries are unacceptable, humans make mistakes, humans are vulnerable, responsibility is shared, safety is proactive, and redundancy is crucial.
“Vision zero strategies” means actionable strategies using the safe system approach and include, but are not limited to, prioritizing roadway design, focusing on speed management, ensuring enforcement is equitable, and utilizing impactful education strategies.
b. The purpose and duties of the 1[task force] commission1 shall be to study, examine, and review all aspects of traffic safety with a particular focus on access, equity, and mobility for all road users using the safe system approach and to advise the Governor, the Legislature, and the Department of Transportation regarding policies, programs, research, and priorities to help achieve the goal of eliminating traffic fatalities and serious injuries. To fulfill this purpose and these duties, the 1[task force] commission1 shall:
(1) develop a comprehensive and coordinated action plan to help achieve the goal of eliminating traffic fatalities and serious injuries on all public roadways in the State through engineering, education, and enforcement systems that analyze physical transportation designs with a focus on the equitable treatment of all transportation users;
(2) identify short-term and long-term data-driven strategies with measurable goals and target dates to reduce traffic fatalities and serious injuries with the goal of eliminating all traffic fatalities and serious injuries by 2035;
(3) promote effective and transparent collection of traffic safety data and dissemination of such data via a publicly accessible data portal that includes, but is not limited to, the most dangerous intersections in the State, traffic crash data with information on non-fatal injuries and demographic data, and a high injury network that indicates the roadways, in the State, with the highest injury rates;
(4) encourage the elimination of road hazards by advancing active transportation and mass transit as safe and viable forms of transportation throughout the State for persons of all ages and abilities;
(5) provide recommendations for changes to State, county, and municipal law to achieve the goal of eliminating all traffic fatalities and serious injuries by 2035;
(6) develop an action plan to implement and promote the safe system approach, vision zero strategies, and evidenced-based safety countermeasures to help achieve the goal of eliminating traffic fatalities and severe injuries among all road users;
(7) create and maintain an interactive Internet website to provide information about the 1[task force] commission1, including: the membership of the 1[task force] commission1; the 1[task force’s] commission’s1 plans, progress reports, meeting notices, agendas, and minutes; educational materials about vision zero; a link to the safety portal required pursuant to paragraph (3) of this subsection; and any other information the 1[task force] commission1 deems necessary;
(8) serve as an advisor to the Department of Transportation and other State agencies and transportation authorities with regard to roadway planning and transportation infrastructure planning;
(9) provide advice and assistance to county and municipal governments to develop their own vision zero plans;
1[(10) review and provide feedback on an annual basis to the Department of Transportation, the New Jersey Turnpike Authority, and the South Jersey Transportation Authority on their respective capital plans before these entities provide testimony at their respective public budget hearings before the Legislature. The feedback shall be made publicly available on the website of the task force before the entities provide such testimony;]1 and
1[(11)] (10)1 report annually to the Governor and, pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1991, c.164 (C.52:14-19.1), to the Legislature on the findings and activities of the 1[task force] commission1, including the number of road traffic fatalities and serious injuries and the review of the implementation of the action plans. The 1[task force] commission1 shall submit the report before the third Sunday in November of each year, which is World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims.
13. The Department of Transportation shall promulgate such rules and regulations, pursuant to the “Administrative Procedure Act,” P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.), as are necessary to effectuate the provisions of P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill).1
1[3.] 4.1 This act shall take effect immediately.