Bill Text: NJ A1461 | 2016-2017 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Establishes Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety Study Advisory Council.*
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 8-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2016-02-08 - Reported from Assembly Comm. as a Substitute, 2nd Reading [A1461 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2016-A1461-Introduced.html
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
217th LEGISLATURE
PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2016 SESSION
Sponsored by:
Assemblywoman PAMELA R. LAMPITT
District 6 (Burlington and Camden)
Assemblyman DANIEL R. BENSON
District 14 (Mercer and Middlesex)
Assemblywoman VALERIE VAINIERI HUTTLE
District 37 (Bergen)
Assemblyman TIM EUSTACE
District 38 (Bergen and Passaic)
SYNOPSIS
Establishes Pedestrian Safety Study Commission.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel.
An Act establishing a Pedestrian Safety Study Commission.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. a. There is established a commission to be known as the Pedestrian Safety Study Commission, to consist of 15 members as follows:
(1) The Commissioner of Transportation, ex officio, or the commissioner's designated representative;
(2) The Chief Administrator of the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission, ex officio, or the chief administrator's designated representative;
(3) The Director of the Division of Highway Traffic Safety in the Department of Law and Public Safety, ex officio, or the director's designated representative;
(4) Four members of the public to be appointed by the Governor, one upon the recommendation of the AAA Clubs of New Jersey, one upon the recommendation of the State League of Municipalities, one upon the recommendation of the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce; and one who has demonstrated interest in education, advocacy, and work on behalf of issues facing senior citizens in this State;
(5) Four members to be appointed by the Senate President, of whom one shall be a member of the Senate and no more than two of whom may be of the same political party; and
(6) Four members to be appointed by the Speaker of the General Assembly, of whom one shall be a member of the General Assembly and no more than two of whom may be of the same political party.
b. The appointed members, other than the members of the Senate and General Assembly, shall, by training and experience, have knowledge of, and an interest in, pedestrian safety, particularly relating to the issues of pedestrian facilities, public awareness of rights and duties of pedestrians and motorists, accident prevention, and enforcement of applicable motor laws.
c. Any vacancy in the membership of the commission shall be filled by appointment in the same manner as the original appointment was made.
2. The commission shall organize as soon as possible after the appointment of a majority of the commission's members and shall elect from among the members who are not members of the Senate or General Assembly a chairperson and a vice-chairperson.
3. The commission shall study, examine, and review the issue of pedestrian safety in New Jersey. In conducting its inquiry, the commission shall study and analyze:
a. the rights, duties, and responsibilities of pedestrians;
b. the rights, duties, and responsibilities of motorists;
c. the availability and effectiveness of driving education and training programs for New Jersey's drivers;
d. the type of motor vehicle violations, including excessive speed, that are contributing factors in pedestrian accidents;
e. municipal planning practices, especially concerning pedestrian facilities and adequate sidewalks, lighting, and pedestrian waiting areas or safety zones;
f. State planning processes, including pedestrian facilities;
g. current applicable speed limits and the need to lower those speed limits in certain locations in keeping with pedestrian safety and traffic movement;
h. the use and effectiveness of public awareness campaigns on the issue of pedestrian safety;
i. senior citizen mobility issues;
j. additional legislative and regulatory solutions, including the imposition of fines for violating applicable pedestrian laws; and
k. any other issue or matter as the commission may deem appropriate to fulfill the scope of its charge.
4. The commission shall be entitled to call to its assistance and avail itself of the services of the officials and employees of the State and its political subdivisions and their departments, boards, bureaus, commissions, and agencies as it may require and as may be available to it for the purposes of the commission and may expend those funds as may be appropriated or otherwise made available to it for the purposes of its study.
5. The commission shall report its findings, conclusions, and recommendations to the Governor and, pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1991, c.164 (C.52:14-19.1), to the Legislature no more than one year following the first meeting of the commission; thereafter, the commission shall submit annually a report to the Governor and, pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1991, c.164 (C.52:14-19.1), to the Legislature in the five years subsequent.
6. This act shall take effect immediately and shall expire upon the submission of the commission's sixth annual report to the Governor and Legislature in accordance with the provisions of section 5 of P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill).
STATEMENT
This bill creates a Pedestrian Safety Study Commission to study and report on the issue of pedestrian safety in New Jersey. In conducting its inquiry, the commission is to study and analyze: the rights, duties, and responsibilities of pedestrians and motorists; the availability and effectiveness of driving education and training programs for New Jersey's drivers; the type of motor vehicle violations, including excessive speed, that are contributing factors in pedestrian accidents; municipal planning practices, especially concerning pedestrian facilities and adequate sidewalks, lighting, and pedestrian waiting areas or safety zones; State planning processes, including pedestrian facilities; current applicable speed limits and the need to lower those speed limits in certain locations in keeping with pedestrian safety and traffic movement; the use and effectiveness of public awareness campaigns on the issue of pedestrian safety; additional legislative and regulatory solutions, including the imposition of fines for violating applicable pedestrian laws; and other issues and matters as the commission may deem appropriate to fulfill the scope of its charge.
The study commission will issue its findings, conclusions, and recommendations in an initial report to the Governor and the Legislature no later than one year following the first organizational meeting of the commission, and thereafter, for the next five years, submit an annual report to the Governor and Legislature. The study commission will expire upon the submission of the final report in the sixth year after its creation.
