Dear Editor:
What began as a means of increasing safety for pedestrians in what is recognized and treasured as one of the most walkable cities in America, has given way to one of the worst traffic problems we have seen. There is no better way to say it – the traffic situation is abysmal and not getting any better. And this problem was created by the original attempts to increase pedestrian safety.
The time it takes residents to get in and out of the city is appalling – our businesses, suppliers and their customers are seeing an impact as well. Additionally, our emergency personnel would be paralyzed if something happened during rush hour. Put simply, the traffic situation is hurting the long term viability of Hoboken.
Countless residents have reached out regarding this issue and I am asking them to contact the council, come to a meeting and make their voice heard. We need to test a new traffic pattern because what we have isn’t working. I have proposed restricting parking on one side of the street during these peak hours to create an additional lane and get vehicles moving again. Not only will this plan alleviate some of the traffic problem – but will still allow for increased pedestrian safety.
Since joining the council, I have proposed a study to examine this plan of creating relief from the bottleneck traffic on Jackson Street during peak travel hours. At a recent council meeting, the Head of the Hoboken Police Department’s Traffic division went on record to say that Jackson Street is a bad location for bike lanes. We are working hard to alleviate the problem and I appreciate the support of my council colleagues
Thank you,
Ruben Ramos
4th Ward Councilman