Hudson Reporter Archive

Safety measures need more work

Dear Editor:

Sunday morning, January 16, there appeared on page 11 of The Hoboken Reporter a full-page ad by Mayor David Roberts touting “Safe Paths to School, Safe Paths Around Hoboken.” As a resident who gets around town solely by foot and bicycle, I have known about Safe Paths for some time, find it a great idea and have agitated for its implementation.

Nothing would make this town safer for us all than clearing the crosswalks and yellow curb areas next to them of parked vehicles, which, at every intersection, obstruct the views of pedestrians, bicyclist and motorist alike. Safety would also be improved by keeping the bus stops free of parked cars for the reasons stated by Mayor Roberts.

These unsafe conditions have been ignored by the Police Department and to a lesser degree by the Parking Department for way too long. So was I dreaming? The Mayor’s ad clearly says: “The rules will be enforced.”

Has the mayor turned over a new leaf, is he really going to demand his department heads enforce rules? I decided to check this out. Looking out my window I saw at the corner of 1st and Monroe the usual gaggle of cars and SUV’s clustered in the yellow zone with two overlapping the crosswalks. None had been ticketed.

I called the police and shortly thereafter was pleasantly surprised to see an officer citing the two cars parked in the crosswalk. Sadly, those in the yellow zone were ignored. An hour later I called again, but it came to naught.

So I took a bicycle tour of the city to see just how serious the Mayor is. Alas, little has changed. For, as is the custom here, I found vehicles stacked in the yellow zone of practically every intersection, many overlapping the crosswalks with some even blocking wheelchair ramps. On the windshields, no citations to be seen. On Washington Street cars littered the bus stops as usual. But again, no tickets.

Is it the Mayor’s policy to have the police ticket only when these obvious infractions are brought to their attention by a citizen? If so, such a policy makes a joke of enforcement.

While on patrol, officers can see these infractions as clearly as the rest of us. But I don’t blame the cops on the beat, for they are by and large a decent lot. Instead, fault the mayor for not insisting that his Chief of Police instruct his subordinates concerning the seriousness of these matters. This failure of leadership throughout the administration makes a mockery of Safe Paths, regardless of what the Mayor’s ad says.

Dave, it is easy to talk about the problem. But as with out of control development and other serious problems facing this town, its all talk and no action.

Sincerely,
James Vance

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