Last week the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia and our community partners delivered letters to the Mayor and City Council to apply for Local Technical Assistance from NJ DOT to create a bicycle and pedestrian plan. The other signers of the letter include the Tri-State Transportation Campaign, The New Jersey Conservation Foundation and the Cooper Grant Neighborhood Association.
Alternatively, the program has no required match in funding from the municipality. The municipality contacts NJDOT and then an application is sent. The local government is required to pass a resolution of support for the project and must assist NJDOT with public outreach.
DOT then puts the project into the queue and selects one of their consultants to create the plan. The planning process involves public engagement.
Over the past year, Camden has seen enormous job growth, with large numbers of the new commuters coming from nearby suburbs. This has created a rush-hour surge in traffic on City streets near downtown.
Between 2014 and 2018 29 bicyclists and pedestrians have been killed or seriously injured by drivers on Camden streets. As a coalition we have been working to convince Camden City Council to develop a Bicycle and Pedestrian plan since 2016.