Bill Text: NJ A1476 | 2024-2025 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Establishes "New Jersey Target Zero Commission."
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 18-0)
Status: (Engrossed) 2024-09-30 - Received in the Senate, Referred to Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee [A1476 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2024-A1476-Introduced.html
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
221st LEGISLATURE
PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2024 SESSION
Sponsored by:
Assemblyman ROBERT J. KARABINCHAK
District 18 (Middlesex)
Co-Sponsored by:
Assemblyman Spearman, Assemblywomen Lopez, Speight and Swain
SYNOPSIS
Establishes "New Jersey Target Zero Commission."
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel.
An Act establishing the "New Jersey Target Zero Commission" 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 Target Zero Commission."
b. The commission shall consist of 13 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 Commissioner of Human Services, ex officio, or the commissioner's designee;
(7) the Director of Highway Traffic Safety, ex officio, or the director's designee;
(8) the Director of the Office of Environmental Justice in the Department of Environmental Protection, ex officio, or the director's designee;
(9) the Executive Director of the New Jersey Transit Corporation, ex officio, or the executive director's designee;
(10) the Executive Director of the New Jersey Turnpike Authority, ex officio, or the executive director's designee;
(11) the Executive Director of the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission , ex officio, or the executive director's designee; (12)the Executive Director of the North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority, ex officio, or the executive director's designee; and
(13)the Executive Director of the South Jersey Transportation Planning Organization, ex officio, or the executive director's designee
c. The commission shall hold its initial meeting as soon as practicable, but no later than 60 days after the effective date of P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill). The chairperson of the commission shall be the Commissioner of Transportation, and the commission shall meet no less than twice per year at such places and times as the chairperson may designate. The commission shall hold a minimum of two annual public hearings. The chairperson may appoint a secretary who need not be a member of the commission.
d. The commission shall meet with key stakeholders, advocates, and experts, and shall consult with policy experts in the fields of bicycle and pedestrian safety, mobility, visual or cognitive impairments, and motor vehicle crashes for expertise and input.
e. The Department of Transportation shall provide professional, stenographic, and clerical staff to the commission, as may be necessary for the commission to carry out its duties. The commission 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 pedestrian mobility, such as walking and running, individual use of personal conveyances for mobility powered by human effort or electric motors, and personal conveyances that consider and address accommodations pursuant to the "Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990" (42 U.S.C. s.12101 et seq.).
"Bicycle" means the same as the term is defined in section 2 of P.L.1975, c.328 (C.39:4-14.5).
"Pedestrian" shall include, but not be limited to: a pedestrian as defined in R.S.39:1-1; a person in a wheelchair or motorized wheelchair as defined in R.S.39:1-1; and a person employed by or who contracts with any public utility company in this State, a property maintenance worker, or any other person who is permitted by law to be upon the roadway and outside a motor vehicle for work or recreation and is upon a roadway and outside a motor vehicle for work or recreation.
"Personal conveyance" shall include:
(1) a bicycle as defined in this section;
(2) a low-speed electric bicycle as defined in R.S.39:1-1;
(3) a low-speed electric scooter as defined in R.S.39:1-1;
(4) a manual wheelchair;
(5) a motorized wheelchair as defined in R.S.39:1-1, or similar mobility assisting devices used by persons with physical disabilities, or by persons whose ambulatory mobility has been impaired by age or illness;
(6) an electric personal assistive mobility device as defined in section 1 of P.L.2001, c.430 (C.39:4-14.10);
(7) a motorized scooter as defined in R.S.39:1-1;
(8) a skateboard;
(9) a motorized skateboard as defined in R.S.39:1-1;
(10) roller skates as defined in section 1 of P.L.1997, c.411 (C.39:4-10.5); and
(11) any other means used by a person for transportation.
"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.
"Target zero strategies" means actionable strategies using the safe system approach and include, but are not limited to: (1) prioritizing roadway design and design of sidewalks; crosswalks; roadway shoulders; personal conveyance parking; access to public transit, schools, and parks; and intersections and corridors with paths, trails, and multiuse greenways; (2) focusing on speed management; (3) ensuring enforcement is equitable; and (4) utilizing impactful education strategies and inclusive community engagement.
b. The purpose and duties of the commission 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 commission 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 by 2040 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 2040;
(3) adopt the action plan no later than the first day of the 12th month following the effective date of P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill), except that before adopting the action plan, the commission shall host a public hearing to receive public feedback concerning the proposed action plan, which proposed action plan shall be published on the commission's Internet website no less than 72 hours before the public hearing;
(4) 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;
(5) 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;
(6) provide recommendations for changes to State, county, and municipal law to achieve the goal of eliminating all traffic fatalities and serious injuries by 2040;
(7) develop the action plan to implement and promote the safe system approach, target zero strategies, and evidenced-based safety countermeasures to help achieve the goal of eliminating traffic fatalities and severe injuries among all road users by 2040;
(8) create and maintain an interactive Internet website to provide information about the commission, including: the membership of the commission; the commission's plans, progress reports, meeting notices, agendas, and minutes; educational materials about target zero; a link to the safety portal required pursuant to paragraph (4) of this subsection; and any other information the commission deems necessary;
(9) 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;
(10) provide advice and assistance to county and municipal governments to develop their own target zero plans; and
(11) 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 commission, including the number of road traffic fatalities and serious injuries and the review of the implementation of the action plans. The commission shall submit the report before the third Sunday in November of each year, which is World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims.
3. 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).
4. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill establishes the "New Jersey Target Zero Commission" (commission). The commission is to consist of 13 members as outlined in the bill.
The purpose and duties of the commission are 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 (DOT) regarding policies, programs, research, and priorities to help achieve the goal of eliminating traffic fatalities and serious injuries by 2040. To fulfill its purpose and duties, the commission is required to:
(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 by 2040 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 2040;
(3) adopt the action plan no later than the first day of the 12th month following the effective date of the bill and, prior to adoption of the action plan, host a public hearing to receive public feedback concerning the proposed action plan, which must be published on the commission's Internet website no less than 72 hours before the public hearing;
(4) 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;
(5) 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;
(6) provide recommendations for changes to State, county, and municipal law to achieve the goal of eliminating all traffic fatalities and serious injuries by 2040;
(7) develop the action plan to implement and promote the safe system approach, target zero strategies, and evidenced-based safety countermeasures to help achieve the goal of eliminating traffic fatalities and severe injuries among all road users by 2040;
(8) create and maintain an interactive Internet website to provide information about the commission, including, but not limited to, information on the membership of the commission, plans and agendas, educational materials about target zero, and a link to the safety portal;
(9) 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;
(10) provide advice and assistance to county and municipal governments to develop their own target zero plans; and
(11) report annually to the Governor and to the Legislature.
