The Borough of Pompton Lakes launched a Street Smart NJ campaign this week that will run through the month of October.
Street Smart NJ is a statewide public awareness campaign that combines educational outreach and high-visibility law enforcement to change behaviors as they relate to pedestrian safety. This is the first Street Smart campaign for the borough.
“Thank you to TransOptions, our police department, and the borough collectively for helping Pompton Lakes take active steps to keep our roadways safe,” Pompton Lakes Mayor Michael Serra said. “Crosswalk safety is a big concern for the town and will be heavily enforced. We hope that by taking precautionary measures we can prevent crashes and make Pompton Lakes a safer place for pedestrians and motorists.”
“Making Pompton Lakes a safe and walkable community is critical to supporting our economic development and quality of life initiatives in the business district. The Street Smart campaign will help educate residents and visitors on responsible behaviors as both drivers and pedestrians while helping to make Pompton a great place to live, work, and play,” Pompton Lakes Councilman Erik DeLine said.
TransOptions, a non-profit transportation organization, is leading the Street Smart effort in Pompton Lakes, after successfully completing similar campaigns across northwestern New Jersey.
“Pompton Lakes is yet another community willing to put forth effort to enhance safety of its pedestrians and motorists alike. This helps New Jersey as a whole get closer to the ultimate goal of zero fatalities on our roadways,” said TransOptions President Dan Callas.
“TransOptions applauds Pompton Lakes for its efforts on pedestrian safety and we look forward to helping them on this campaign by conducting outreach and the education portion of the campaign,” said Laura Cerutti, TransOptions’ Street Smart project manager.
From 2014 through 2018, there were 10 crashes involving pedestrians in Pompton Lakes,according to the most recent data available from the New Jersey Division of Highway Traffic Safety. Eight of those crashes resulted in injury, with one considered to be a “suspected serious injury.” In six of the crashes, drives were inattentive. Three of the crashes involved pedestrians under the age of 17 who were struck when walking to/from school.
“Pedestrians and motorists must work together to prevent crashes,” said Ryan Cichon, Captain of Pompton Lakes Police Department. “The police department will utilize the Street Smart campaign for enhanced enforcement during the campaign to change roadway behaviors.”
The Pompton Lakes Police Department will be conducting a cops in the crosswalk decoy program throughout the month of October. In addition, police will be handing out candy and raffle tickets to children / teens crossing at crosswalks to reward positive behaviors.