Dear Editor:
On May 24th our four-month old baby girl was hit by a driver barreling through the crosswalk on 6th Street as he made a right (both had the green light) from Washington knocking over her stroller and sending her to Saint Mary Hospital. Thankfully, Sofia was uninjured because she remained strapped into her stroller. But the incident has heightened our concern over the reckless driving on our streets that already claimed two lives in hit and run accidents in the past year.
Hoboken has addressed the situation by installing speed humps and yield signs. These measures are simply not enough. Cavalier drivers continue to speed, run stop signs, stop in the middle of crosswalks, and have complete disregard for pedestrians. And enforcement for such violations appears minimal.
According to NJ state law title 39:4-36 “failure to yield to pedestrians in crosswalk” is a violation that carries two points. But the police officer responding to the May 24 call did not issue a summons for violating the law. Instead, he issued a ticket for “failure to exhibit registration.” This is absolutely deplorable. Would Sofia have had to be injured for the driver to be slapped with the appropriate violation? The city and its police department must begin a Zero Tolerance enforcement policy that punishes drivers with a blatant disregard for the law and, more importantly, lives.
The city has taken such action with its parking enforcement. Last year the city issued 138,374 parking violations but just 4,215 moving violations, according to the Municipal Court. How can we expect drivers to respect the law if the city is unwilling to enforce it? Pedestrian safety was barely raised during the mayoral and councilman races. Open space, parking, the sale of the municipal garage, and the other topics are important but pedestrian safety is a matter of life and death.
Enforcement will clearly have the most impact but the following may help improve the situation:
* Post advisory signs at the city’s few entry points to let drivers know that Hoboken is pedestrian friendly and that speeding or disregard for stop signs and pedestrians will not be tolerated.
* Ensure that stop signs, speed limit signs, stop lines, and crosswalks are clearly marked.
* Create an ongoing campaign in and around town to remind drivers that this is a pedestrian community, slow down, look both ways, and that it’s the law to yield to pedestrians.
* Apply for a grant by The NJ Division of Highway Traffic Safety, which assists local agencies to develop comprehensive pedestrian safety programs that have proved to be very successful. On average, participating municipalities have seen a 20-percent first year reduction in crashes involving pedestrians.
* Washington D.C. is undergoing a pedestrian safety program that will install photo-radar and red light cameras at intersections. Adapt these technologies for stop signs.
* Enforce the ban on driving while talking on a cell phone.
We absolutely can not wait for another arrogant, impatient, inattentive driver to turn recklessness to tragedy before the city intervenes to alter the mindset of drivers to slow down and respect pedestrians. Please take action now.
Respectfully,
Peter Baracskai
Theresa Howard
Sofia Baracskai