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This is the sad truth, one which trumps any other.

The day I see a JC police car use a turn signal or stop for a pedestrian in a crosswalk might be the day I believe things could possibly change. Until then, I understand that the culture of insanity runs so deep, in so many different directions...it is near hopeless.

The pedestrians are often as completely crazy and suicidal as the drivers--just take a drive around town when schools get out to see what I mean. Then again, these pedestrians are drivers, or soon-to-be drivers, too. It is a culture of "I don't give a sh*t." and it permeates all JC communities, regardless of ethnicity, immigrant status, or income.

Police can't enforce problems they can't even perceive. These cops are some of the worst drivers, breaking the most laws, constantly. They clearly see nothing wrong with it. Frankly, the WORST offenders of traffic and parking laws in JC seem to be anyone with a PBA plate or badge suctioned to their window.

Columbus and Grand are freeways placed in the middle of neighborhoods, and many will surely die.

When I lived in the Heights, there was a terrible, terrible intersection at the corner of Webster and Hutton. Accidents would happen weekly - the worst was an SUV that was flipped over with a child inside. We would talk to the city quite a lot about this intersection, but in the process learned some important information - things that may help those of you who are just starting out trying to make a change to the roads:

1. Just because the road is located downtown, doesn't mean the city has the authority to actually take "calming measures." Odd, I know. The intersection I am speaking of in the Heights "belonged" to the state's oversight.

2. Do your homework - find out what is already in the works in the areas that are hotspots. Our intersection was already scheduled for a road study - which takes several years to complete. Engineers had already been out and were well aware of the problem. (Not that it helped all the people injured in the interim). Just be aware that change occurs very slowly.

3. You may be working with multiple agencies on your varied complaints - both in the municipal and state governments. Get numbers/emails and discuss the situation. Remember to attend your police captain's meetings and try to work the enforcement angle, too.

It took about three years to get a light at that intersection and it was a very frustrating situation when the solution is so obviously staring at you in the face.

This is a great forum for our different thoughts but just exchanging thoughts over what methods is or isn't the solution will not get us anywhere...
there is probably not a single solution that will really help on its own but all the different methods combined will make a change - this is a recognized as "calming traffic" and its a proven way to best handle traffic problems and especially speedings !

The city needs to hear from everyone on this matter...call, email and complain to them - and send them your suggestions to what needs to happen on your location, what you see everyday and the dangers!

Pull together your neighbors and get signatures about your most dangerous location - take photos if you can, or even videos...and send these along!

...and, don't say it wont work If we don't do anything nothing will ever change but if everyone started some action, things will move in the right direction!!

Joe DeSouza is the Director JC of Traffic and Engineering. (201) 547-4470. The city has been spared most residents worries and complains for way too long...I am also looking into starting a petition asap, join me on my JC street safety page for updates:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Jersey- ... 06524533?sk=wall&filter=1

JC speeding isn't isolated to Grand.

Downtown, most streets you can name are used as rat-runs: Marin, Washington Blvd, Erie, Monmouth.

Red light cameras might generate City revenue. But speed cameras might save more lives.

Remember two years ago....

http://www.hudsonreporter.com/view/fu ... t--hit-and-run-unresolved

The mayor's spokeswoman says Parking is not a recognized method to control speeding." Actually, it can be, anything which actually or perceptually narrows the street can calm traffic. But the issue was never really "parking" as much as it was widening the lane.

She also said. "The prohibition of parking along Grand Street will become even more imperative as the Liberty Harbor developments impose the planned 9,000 units of housing and various retail and commercial projects."

Now that LH development is stalled, can we acknowledge that this statement was at least premature?

Finally: "Other methods to control speeding are now being evaluated by Traffic and Transportation."

Very nice. I would like to know what was evaluated and implemented over the last two years to make Grand Street safer.

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Good ideas!

Please join me, and spread the word...i will start making calls for a petition etc on Monday, need all the help i can get!!

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Jersey- ... et-Safety/235528706524533

Streets like Grove where cars speed should have speed bumps (how much will that cost the city?) -- IMO it shouldnt cost much!

Streets like Grand should be narrowed like what Bloomberg did with his... Times Square, 34th-Herald Sq, Flatiron...etc. - how much will that cost Jersey City? IMO it shouldn't cost much!

Jersey City's tax property is high enough to meet the cost of such small-low maintenance.

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http://www.facebook.com/pages/Jersey- ... 06524533?sk=wall&filter=1

hmmm...I am not sure what you refer to as a facebook generation, when i went to school we didnt even have computers - so i think im not! But there are grannies forming pages these days too you know - although im not a grannie... yet!

So Why did i create this page? Because i was very very emotionally upset about this accident....because i live on this street and because its better to start somewhere than nowhere!

As the crash happened right outside, my husband just walked in the door... had he been a minute earlier or had the drunk driver come down a minute later he may have not walked in and the devastation could have been ours...or yours just as likely! While singing my almost 4 year old daughter to sleep that night with the flickering siren light reflections in her room, chocked by the extent of this accident only a few walls away, i promised my daughter I will try to do something about the Safety of our Dangerous Street!
The next day we found out that the the body my husband had witnessed on the street was a neighborhood father to another little 4 year old - and words cannot describe our sadness for this poor family - how can we feel happy about our luck when someone just lost everything - but we have the strength and energy so for them, and our children we HAVE to do something about this...Urgently!
I quickly created this facebook page really more by heart than thoughts...its a way to reach out to people in this community we don\'t know personally and im hoping to gather people together...although most people are not jumping up their seats turning off their tv show or laptop for activism - but most would show an interest and join a group like this for its cause! With joint forces we can and have to make a change...petitions, protests - whatever it takes

.. and would love to hear everyones meaningful suggestions!!!

Grand Street is an accident waiting to happen every day, we have seen so many nearly accidents here...and in only one and a half year we have already closely witnessed one other hit and run, in this same block...where again - just by chance the driver hit another car in the next lane but could have as easily slammed into the side where our daughter sat. The other couple were ok thankfully but shaken up and their car got some damage.

We can\'t control irresponsible drunk drivers etc...but the city has to take responsibility for the poor safety quality of our street...in 10 years of living in Manhattan and 5 years in JC i have never experienced a more dangerous street...busses, trucks and cars - they all fly down this street like if it was a highway, zipping in and out of the confusing lanes and almost hitting eachother daily! A little child could easily be swooped up by the whirlwind of the fast traffic nearly coming onto the small sidewalk...and its nearly impossible to even move in on Grand St without almost causing an accidents as there is no space for stopping along one side.

We owe our children to make sure we do everything we can to make this a safer place... Lights are constantly broke and pedestrians are in danger everyday throughout this town. This is unacceptable and I know there are many other dangerous locations in our area ...we all pass several hot spots daily and we need to join forces in any way and shape we can together and push for a safer downtown JC!

I\'m not an expert on traffic, But the speed is certainly a deciding factor of how serious an accident will become - So it IS extremely important we try to get the speeding down!! With proper speed bumps, safer lanes, smart automatic red lights before a car has a chance to speed on yellow/red...cars would be forced to slow down - and the street should be updated with modern technology and sophisticated traffic signs and bigger sidewalks...might not matter to the drunk driver - but would help in most other situations! Im sure there are many smart and modern systems the city could apply here if it was a priority - but a basic one to start is lowering the speed, whatever the speed is people will go over and as speed HAS a huge factor in how severe the accident is, its probably a first moral thing to do!

I couldn\'t find a similar chart in English, but this is an explanation from the Swedish government why the speed is so important!
http://data.riksdagen.se/fil/GY01TU18 ... -ACF2-32B58C950FAF%7D.png

The no of people represent how many are likely to get killed in an accident depending on speed:

50 km/hr equals about 30 miles/hr
30 km/hr equals about 20 miles/hr

So, an accident at 30miles/hr kills about 80% of its victims while accidents at 20miles/hr about 90% survives!

The drunk driver of the accident the other day was speeding really fast, probably to 80 - and we see this happening all the time!! If the City had applied speed bumbs etc it would have been impossible for him to get up to that speed and the children of Fuller and Camelo would maybe have had their fathers today!

cash its not necessarily the issue, its a priority where to put the cash they have!

Then...
Awareness and respect is also another subject...Im not sure if kids here get any street safety education or awareness in school. Traffic Safety should be a big subject...in the schools and our homes! But cities need to back this up with awareness campaigns - if the city don\'t show much priority, people wont neither...and safer streets would be a start for sure! On another note people don\'t wear safety reflectors in this country. This to me is crazy. These are proven to save lives as the driver see you up to 400 ft earlier in dusk and dark. This is an easy and cheap way we as parents can protect our children and ourselves on the street...but most people here seems to know little about this which is baffling to me!

I think in general, it should be paid lots more attention to traffic safety nationwide, it should be an important subject from early years...we probably need much more education before getting a license and maybe it should be way easier to loose it. Speeders should probably receive more serious tickets and there should probably be better tracking of speeding on the streets...im not an expert but the city can look into other successful campaigns world wide if they were interested! and then the whole drinking and driving issue is of course another issue itself, since it\'s not at all as big of a problem in certain other countries our country should make it a huge focus from early early years, supported by nation wide campaigns and inspiration from other countries

I really don\'t have the answers, but many thoughts...

Many peoples thoughts, combined with actions leads to answers!

^^

Ok, I hear you, and I agree.

Ppl everywhere drive like crazy.

But making streets narrower will not change their behavior, law enforcement will.

It still boils down to cash.

On Grand, you can't even go 25 without being tailgated, I've had some very angry reactions from drivers (from all walks of life, west side folks to goldman sachs) if I try to keep to the speed limit and slow down. I slowed for a pedestrian at the Van Vorst crosswalk and almost got rear ended. I had delivery guys almost hitting my car when I'm trying to make the turn onto Warren, the driving culture here is simply out of control.

That said, Grand does have a several major design issues.

1. Wide open streets like Columbus and portions of Grand cause speeding. Fact. This is irrespective of the Mr. Chandler of the day or what posted limits may be. 25 is the limit in that portion and people seem to want to go 40-50. 25 is the limit in the tight streets towards Hamilton Park and that's about what people go because of perceived tightness.

2. The houses/stores on the southside of Grand (near Marin/Grove) are troublesome. There is no parking/stopping possible for those folks. When they inevitably do stop (like that van related to the small business), they almost cause accidents for themselves and the rest of us.

3. The lane merge between Jersey Ave and Grove St is awful. I need to come into with hawk level attention as most people on the left lane go straight thus changing into the right lane all the while expecting you on the right lane to yield to them. They're the ones changing lanes, but they're going straight and the lanes were redesigned last year to provide a piddly dozen or so parking spots. Sometimes those cars pull out blindly as they can't see the traffic behind.

4. Gull's Cove area doesn't have good access. I see tons of illegal turns across Grand into and out of Liberty View Dr. as well as the other ones (River & Tidewater).

^^

We are talking about two different issues.

I am talking about taking people like Mr Chandler off the streets; you are talking about a too-wide Grand
St.

Grand St is not the issue; Mr Chandler is.

Its not cash, but rather the willingness for progressive policy for transportation in the city.

The city has recently rebuilt Grand Street and repaved the street and installed new lights at that intersection. Its not a money issue. Its a stupidity issue. Someone (many people?) in the city's planning or transportation or mayor's office is really quite pleased with the intersection of Grand and Grove Street. They think its a really great intersection, a job well done, government at work. The fact that someone in civil service actually proactively worked to double the width of Grand Street is proof enough that whoever is responsible for the final decision is incapable of doing their job.

@OP:

I am pretty sure that another Facebook page won't change a thing.

Is another Facebook page your generation's answer to all problems?

Realize this - NYC had the same problem in the 80's, and they pretty much solved it. But it takes a massive amount of cash, which JC does not have. NYC does. And I am not talking about just speeding.

Speeding is not the core issue here.

More speed bumps and lights.

I was actually surprised this happened where it did... I would have expected this or pedestrian fatality on Manilla or Erie. The way people speed through JC and the almost nonexistent traffic enforcement...

I have lived here for a while now and never seen anyone pulled over for speeding.

What would you like done?

i have created a facebook page called JERSEY CITY STREET SAFETY - lets grow this page fast - and join together to demand that this city take responsibility for these outrageously low safety standards and improve this before more people are killed! Im hoping we can put together a petition, and even a demonstration...and hope you will join!?

Please send this link to all your friends too!!
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Jersey- ... y/235528706524533?sk=wall