ASBURY PARK, NJ - 144 Pa - Street Smart NJ
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ASBURY PARK, NJ
144 Pa
EZ Ride
144 Park Place East
Wood-Ridge, NJ 07075
(201) 939-4242
www.ezride.org
December 14, 2017
Street Smart Asbury Park
Table of Contents
Executive Summary……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………3
1. Street Smart Overview…………………………………………………………………………………………………………..4
1.1 EZ Ride’s Street Smart Program……………………………………………………………………………………………5
1.2 Asbury Park, Monmouth County, New Jersey……………………………………………………………………...5
1.3 Campaign Selected Intersection…………………………………………………………………………………………..7
1.4 Pre-Campaign Intersection Observation……………………………………………………………………….……..7
1.5 Education and Enforcement Campaigns…………………………………………………………………….………..8
1.6 Post Campaign Intersection Observation………………………………………………………………….………….8
2. Evaluation
2.1 Pre-Campaign and Post Campaign Observations………………………………………………………………….9
3. Campaign Overview
3.1 Education Campaign……………….…………………………………………………………………………………………..9
3.2 Enforcement Campaign………….………………………………………………………………………………………….11
4. Summary of Campaign Results……..………………………………………………………………………………………11
4.1 Recommendations……………………………………………………………………………………………………………..12
5. Appendix
5.1 Charts and Tables………………………………………………………………………………………………………………13
5.2 EZ Ride Community Outreach…………………………………..…………………….…………………………..…….14
5.3 Street Smart Materials …………………………….…………………………………..……………….………………….17
5.4 Media Coverage ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..18
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Street Smart Asbury Park
Executive Summary
New Jersey has been designated a “Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety Focus State” by the federal
government because of the high rate of pedestrian fatalities. The Street Smart NJ Campaign
raises public awareness and educates drivers and pedestrians on safe travel through a
collaborative effort of public, private, and non-profit organizations. Street Smart was a pilot
program implemented in five municipalities in 2013 - 2014 and has expanded to more than 50
New Jersey municipalities, including Asbury Park in 2016.
EZ Ride partnered with the City of Asbury Park after officials reached out seeking assistance to
improve walkability and safety around the schools and in the city. A summer education
campaign was conducted in June 2016 followed by a full campaign, which includes pre- and
post-campaign observations, in late fall.
During the planning and implementation of the summer campaign, EZ Ride developed a
positive and collaborative relationship with the North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority
(NJTPA), Asbury Park Police Department, Department of Planning and Redevelopment,
Emergency and Public Works, Rutgers Ambassadors in Motion (AIM), and the Asbury Park
Chamber of Commerce.
The fall Street Smart NJ campaign began with a selected intersection observation at Memorial
Drive and First Avenue before the campaign on November 3rd, 2016. While there was no official
media kickoff, Asbury Park notified residents that the campaign was underway as of October
26, 2016. The educational campaign consisted of posters and signs on display and
approximately 2,800 Street Smart safety tip cards were distributed by Asbury Park Police
Department between November 16th and November 30th. The enforcement campaign was
conducted December 5th through December 9th during which the Asbury Park Police
Department wrote 10 tickets for violations. Following the campaign, observations were
conducted at the intersection of Memorial Drive and First Avenue on December 22nd to
evaluate any change in pedestrian or driver behavior.
The evaluation revealed a decrease in some unsafe driver or pedestrian behaviors and showed
an increase in other unsafe driver or pedestrian behavior. When comparing the observations,
the observation team found there were fewer instances of distracted driving, cyclists riding
against traffic, and distracted walking. These results demonstrate that the people of Asbury
Park became more aware of their responsibilities as pedestrians and/or drivers as a result of
the campaign. However, there were more instances of cars not stopping for pedestrians,
pedestrians jaywalking, and cyclists riding on the sidewalk. While the Street Smart campaign
was able to raise awareness about driver and pedestrian responsibilities and encouraged safer
driver and pedestrian behavior these mixed results show there is still work to be done.
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Street Smart Asbury Park
1. Street Smart Overview
Street Smart NJ is a public education, awareness and behavioral change campaign developed
and funded by the North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority (NJTPA) with supplemental
funding from the State Pedestrian Safety Education and Enforcement Fund and administered by
the New Jersey Division of Highway Traffic Safety (NJDHTS).
The campaign is a collaborative effort among public, private and non-profit organizations. The
NJTPA, along with the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), the New Jersey Department of
Transportation (NJDOT), NJ Transit, NJDHTS, and the Transportation Management Associations
(TMAs) work with numerous community partners to develop and implement the Street Smart
NJ campaign.
Street Smart NJ was developed in response to New Jersey’s designation by FHWA as a
pedestrian “focus” state due to the high incidence of pedestrian injuries and fatalities.
According to 2014 data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the State of
New Jersey ranked 6th in the nation in pedestrian fatalities. From 2010 - 2014, 750 pedestrians
were killed and 17,000 were injured on the state’s roadways equaling one pedestrian death
every 2.5 days and 11 pedestrian injuries every day.
The campaign has three main goals:
Change pedestrian and motorist behaviors to reduce the incidence of pedestrian injuries
and fatalities in New Jersey.
Educate motorists and pedestrians both about their roles and responsibilities for safely
sharing the road.
Increase enforcement of pedestrian safety laws and roadway users’ awareness of that
effort.
The Street Smart NJ program was piloted in five communities in New Jersey in 2013 and 2014.
The pilot programs were conducted in Newark, Jersey City, Woodbridge, Hackettstown, and
Long Beach Island. These five communities were selected in order to incorporate the state’s
diverse landscape of urban, suburban, rural, and shore regions. The program was later
expanded to additional municipalities in 2015 and 2016. EZ Ride has initiated Street Smart NJ
campaigns in Asbury Park, Bloomfield, Cranford, Hackensack, Highlands, Long Brach, and
Teaneck.
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Street Smart Asbury Park
1.1 EZ Ride’s Street Smart Program
The NJTPA has partnered with the eight Transportation
Management Associations (TMAs) to expand the number of
Street Smart NJ campaigns across the state. A TMA is an
organization that provides transportation solutions to reduce
traffic congestion and air pollution. Each TMA was invited to
assist with the program implementation by providing
information, conducting intersection observations, and building
relationships with municipalities to further partnerships and
generate local support.
As shown in the blue areas of the map of New Jersey, EZ Ride
delivers transportation solution services to Essex, Union,
Monmouth, Bergen, and Passaic counties. The City of Asbury Park
was approached to conduct a brief summer Street Smart
pedestrian safety awareness campaign in June 2016. After
meeting with officials and community stakeholders, it was
decided to officially kickoff a full campaign, which includes pre-
and post-campaign observations, on October 26, 2016.
1.2 Asbury Park, Monmouth County, New Jersey
The City of Asbury Park is located in Monmouth County. Asbury Park, once known as the “Jewel
of the Jersey Shore”, has experienced an economic resurgence after years of neglect. As of the
2010 United States Census, Asbury Park’s population was 16,116. The city covers approximately
1.6 square miles with only 1.4 square miles of land.
Using the crash analysis program Plan4Safety, EZ Ride analyzed several crash types in Asbury
Park between 2010 and 2015. During this time frame, Asbury Park had 3,393 crashes. Of those
crashes, 116 were pedestrian crashes where a pedestrian was struck by a motorist. Map 1
indicates the area of Asbury Park where the highest percentage of crashes occurred. It displays
approximately 60 percent of the 116 pedestrian crashes that have been mapped. Of these 116
pedestrian crashes, two crashes involved bicyclists. Thankfully, no pedestrians or bicyclists
involved in these crashes were killed.
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Street Smart Asbury Park
Figure 1. Asbury Park Pedestrian Crash Map Locations
=Locations where a pedestrian has been hit by a vehicle
Table 1: Campaign Schedule
Planning Meeting June 10, 2016
Planning Meeting October 26, 2016
Pre-Campaign Observations November 3, 2016
Education Period November 16th to November 30th , 2016
Enforcement Period December 5th to December 9th, 2016.
Post Campaign Observations December 22, 2016
Report Development with revisions December 27, 2016-December 12, 2017
Report Submission Initial: July 17, 2017, Final: December 14, 2017
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Street Smart Asbury Park
1.3 Campaign Selected Intersection
Figure 2: Intersection of Memorial Drive and First Avenue
The City and the Police Department selected the intersection of Memorial Drive and First
Avenue as the location to conduct pre- and post-campaign observations, education and
enforcement activities. It is near the railroad tracks and is one block from Main Street. Many
students cross the intersection to get to schools and residents use the road to cross town
heading north or south. Memorial Drive is a two lane road that runs parallel to the train tracks.
First Avenue is a residential street that intersects with Memorial Drive and continues through
the Railroad Crossing. The intersection is not signalized and has stop signs on First Avenue.
1.4 Pre-Campaign Intersection Observation
The pre-campaign intersection observations were conducted on Thursday, November 3, 2016
from 7:30 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. Team members from EZ Ride observed pedestrian, driver, and
cyclist behavior. EZ Ride staff tracked the number of cars not stopping for pedestrians in the
crosswalk, distracted drivers, jaywalking, distracted pedestrians, cyclists riding on the sidewalk,
and cyclists riding against traffic.
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Street Smart Asbury Park
1.5 Education and Enforcement Campaigns
The education portion of the campaign ran from November 16 to November 30, 2016 during
which City staff, the Asbury Park Police Department and local merchants distributed or
displayed Street Smart materials. Signs, banners, and posters were installed by the
Department of Public Works in several locations including the focus intersection, Springwood
Avenue and along Memorial Drive.
Figure 3: StreetSmart Sign at Union Avenue
The Asbury Park Police Department conducted the enforcement campaign in early December.
Each participating town’s enforcement campaign is approached differently as some prefer to
issue warnings, citations, or even reward positive/safe pedestrian and driver behaviors. The
Asbury Park Police Department issued citations during their enforcement campaign from
December 6th to December 9th, 2016.
1.6 Post Campaign Intersection Observation
After the education and enforcement portions of the campaign were concluded, EZ Ride staff
returned to Memorial Drive and First Avenue on December 22, 2016 to observe pedestrian and
driver behavior. Staff monitored pedestrians, motorists and cyclists noting whether vehicles
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Street Smart Asbury Park
stopped for pedestrians, whether pedestrians used crosswalks or jaywalked, if cyclists rode
against traffic or rode on sidewalks, and whether drivers or pedestrians were distracted.
2. Evaluation
2.1 Pre-Campaign and Post-Campaign Intersection Observations
The EZ Ride team observed the intersection of Memorial Drive and First Avenue in Asbury Park
on November 3, 2016 for pre-campaign observations and December 22, 2016 for post
observations. Both observation days occurred at the same time: the morning rush hour
between 7:30 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. The team observed both driver and pedestrian behaviors and
tallied how often they occurred. Table 1 below displays the total numbers of behaviors
observed during the Pre-Campaign and Post-Campaign intersection observations.
Table 2. Pre-Campaign Results Table 3.Post-Campaign Results
Pre-Campaign Post-Campaign
Cars Not Stopping 18 Cars Not Stopping 54
Distracted Drivers 118 Distracted Drivers 84
Jaywalking 19 Jaywalking 24
Distracted Walkers 14 Distracted Walkers 6
Cyclists on Sidewalk 7 Cyclists on Sidewalk 14
Cyclists vs. Traffic 11 Cyclists vs. Traffic 6
As Table 1. and Table 2. above demonstrate, the driver and pedestrian behavior results
compared pre-campaign and post-campaign are mixed. Distracted driving, distracted walking,
and cyclists riding against traffic decreased. Cars not stopping for pedestrians, jaywalking, and
cyclists riding on the sidewalk increased. The campaign was positively received and should be
implemented annually to help increase awareness and result in improved behaviors."
3. Campaign Overview
3.1 Education Campaign
The education campaign began on November 16th, 2016. Police officers distributed safety tip
cards and “heads up phone down” postcards to local residents and pedestrians. Local
businesses also displayed posters and table tent cards.
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Street Smart Asbury Park
The goal of the campaign was to raise awareness of five key safe driver and pedestrian
behaviors such as obeying the speed limit, crossing streets using crosswalks, waiting for the
walk signal, stopping for pedestrians in crosswalks, and not being distracted by phones or other
devices. Street signs and small posters were put up around the city and the selected
intersection. More than 2000 posters, street signs, tent cards, coasters, and cup sleeves were
distributed to local residents and various local businesses along Main Street including
Santander Bank, Metro PCS, A & J Sneakers, Wireless Spot/Boost Mobile, Asbury Jewelers,
Home Drug Store, La Tapatia, The Saint, Razzle Dazzle Laundromat, Second Life Bikes, Asbury
Park Cyclery, Medusa Pizza, Dark City Brewery, Asbury Park Roastery, Juice Basin, Pizza Plus
Fried Chicken, La Sierra II, La Merced, Celebrations Boutique, Frances Unisex Hair Salon,
Mark’s Place, Chocolate Sage, Yellow Roof Pet Care, Mercy Center, Le Parisien Cleaners, and the
Kula Café.
As Table 2 below shows, 2,800 people Street Smart cards, 2,000 “Heads Up, Phones Down”
postcards and 2,500 Table Tents were distributed.
Table 4. Street Smart Material Distribution
Street Smart Education Materials Distributed
Street Smart Tip Cards 2,800
Street Smart Small Posters 237
Heads Up, Phones Down Postcards 2,000
Street Smart Tent Cards 2,500
Street Signs 20
The street signs display the five core campaign messages. For drivers the messages are: Stop for
Pedestrians and Obey Speed Limits. Pedestrians are reminded to Use Crosswalks and Wait for
the Walk. And the Heads Up, Phones Down message reminds everyone to avoid distractions.
The street signs could be found throughout the city including on Third Avenue, First Avenue,
Union Avenue, and Springwood Avenue.
10Street Smart Asbury Park
3.2 Enforcement Campaign
The Asbury Park Police Department issued a total of 10 tickets at the intersection of Memorial
Drive and First Avenue. The officers observed the intersection for violations from Monday
December 5th to Friday, December 9th. Table 5 below contains a breakdown of the violations.
Table 5. Enforcement Campaign Driver Citations
Asbury Park Police Department Enforcement Campaign Violations
Day of Week Date Pedestrian Count Violation
Tuesday 12/6/2016 6 1 ticket- failure to yield
to pedestrian
Wednesday 12/7/2016 12 1 ticket- failure to yield
to pedestrian
Thursday 12/8/2016 4 4 tickets- failure to yield
to pedestrian
Friday 12/9/2016 2 2 tickets- speeding
2 tickets- failure to yield
to pedestrian
4. Summary of Campaign Results
The goal of Street Smart NJ is to reduce avoidable traffic fatalities to zero through a public
awareness campaign that aims to improve driver and pedestrian behavior. This is accomplished
through educating the public of their responsibilities, raising awareness of each mode of
transportation, and increasing enforcement to deter unsafe behaviors that are often associated
with traffic crashes.
Based on intersection and an analysis of pre- and post-campaign observations, we noted
decreases in distracted drivers, distracted walkers, and instances of cyclists riding against traffic
when compared pre and post-campaign. As promising as that seems, we also noted increases in
the number of cars not stopping for pedestrians, jaywalking instances, and cyclists riding on the
sidewalk as noted above in Table 2. The campaign had a positive impact and was successful in
raising awareness and encouraging safe travelling behavior.
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The education campaign saw approximately 4,800 Street Smart materials distributed to
residents and commuters. The tent cards, small posters, and large street signs were viewed by
many more people, walking, driving, or dining in one of Asbury Park’s many restaurants.
Additional campaigns or pedestrian safety programming may improve these behaviors further.
4.1 Recommendations
Place “Stop for Pedestrians in Crosswalk” signs along Memorial Drive to further raise
awareness of stopping for pedestrians in crosswalk
Consider pavement marking “ stop for pedestrians in crosswalk” if signs impede traffic
Install signs to inform cyclists that riding on city sidewalks is prohibited (ordinance 3-
38.1i).
Distribute material informing cyclists to ride on right side of street with traffic for safety
or post signs
Investigate feasibility of adding bike lanes all along Memorial Drive with arrows
indicating direction for cyclists to ride to teach them to ride on right with traffic
Consider conducting a study to determine if a traffic signal with pedestrian signal head
should be installed at First Avenue & Memorial Drive
Increase police enforcement of pedestrian and cycling laws, with citations or warnings
Increase efforts to discourage cell phone use which distract pedestrians and motorists.
Perhaps put up signs or use road pavement markings
Conduct additional Street Smart campaigns to encourage safer driving and walking
behavior
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5. Appendix
5.1 Charts and Tables
Chart 1. Pre-Campaign vs. Post-Campaign Observations
250
200 192
150
118
Pre-Campaign
100 84 Post Campaign
54
50 33
18 19 24 14 14
6 7 11 6
0
Cars Cars Not Distracted Jaywalking Distracted Cyclists on Cyclists vs.
Speeding Stopping Drivers Walkers Sidewalk Traffic
Table 6. Percentage Change in Observed Actions
Pre-Campaign Post-Campaign Change
Cars Speeding 192 33 83% reduction
Cars Not Stopping 18 54 200% increase
Distracted Drivers 118 84 29% reduction
Jaywalking 19 24 26% increase
Distracted Walkers 14 6 57% reduction
Cyclists- Sidewalk 7 14 100% increase
Cyclists vs. Traffic 11 6 45% reduction
5.2 EZ Ride Community Outreach
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Safe Routes to School Program
EZ Ride has been active in Asbury Park to help raise awareness of pedestrian and driver safety
by providing pedestrian and bike safety presentations and conducting bike rodeos via the Safe
Routes to School Program. The safety presentations introduce the four safety rules to cross a
street, “Stop, Look, Listen, and Think” and promote safe walking and cycling to school. Students
are reminded to dress to be seen, and to obey traffic laws, signs and signals. Street Smart tip
cards are provided to each student to take home to share with their families.
EZ Ride also conducted walking audits and wrote travel plan reports around two elementary
schools and made many recommendations for the city to address speeding and pedestrian
safety in Asbury Park in 2016.
April 16, 2016 bike rodeo at the Obama Elementary
School
May 15, 2016 pedestrian safety presentation at
Thurgood Marshall Elementary School
At SRTS events, EZ Ride distributed pedestrian/biking safety bookmarks, parent letters, and
Street Smart safety tip cards to students. Approximately 450 students participated in SRTS
activities, receiving instruction on being safe pedestrians.
Asbury Park National Night Out
A team member from EZ Ride participated at Asbury Park’s National Night Out on August 2,
2016 where bike helmets were available on a “first come first, first served basis”.
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Approximately 45 Street Smart NJ Safety tip cards and 25 “Heads Up, Phones Down” cards were
distributed during the event.
Asbury Park National Night Out at the Municipal Building
NJ Health Initiatives (NJHI) Grant: “Communities Moving to Action & Building a Healthier Asbury
Park”
The mission of the Alliance for a Healthier Asbury Park Coalition is to improve the health and
well-being of Asbury Park residents through prevention, education, active programs, and
policy/environmental change. Key objectives are to reduce pediatric obesity and chronic
disease by increasing opportunities for safe physical activity and improving access to healthy
foods and nutrition education. According to an informal survey of the members of the Coalition
done in December 2015, the major health and safety issues facing the community are: limited
access to fresh and healthy food, limited access to behavioral and mental health services, a high
crime rate and need for improved safety, insufficient youth programs and training, a lack of
affordable housing options, and need for better access to affordable transportation and
healthcare for seniors, disabled people and workers. To help fund these efforts, EZ Ride was
awarded with an NJHI Culture of Health- Communities Moving to Action Grant in Asbury Park
and one of its goals will be to improve community safety as well as transportation.
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September 22, 2016, NJHI Grant Kickoff Meeting at Bradley Elementary School
EZ Ride’s goal in selecting Asbury Park to implement a Street Smart NJ campaign was part of its
strategy to understand local resident’s behavior and to improve transportation and increase
community safety for residents through environmental and systems change.
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5.2 Street Smart Educational Materials
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5.3
Media Coverage
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