Sponsored by:
Senator PATRICK J. DIEGNAN, JR.
District 18 (Middlesex)
Senator NIA H. GILL
District 34 (Essex and Passaic)
SYNOPSIS
Establishes New Jersey Vision Zero Task Force.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act establishing the New Jersey Vision Zero Task Force and supplementing Title 27 of the Revised Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. a. There is established in, but not of, the Department of Transportation, the New Jersey Vision Zero Task Force.
b. The task force shall consist of 21 members, as follows:
(1) the Commissioner of Transportation, ex officio, or the commissioner s designee;
(2) the Superintendent of State Police, ex officio, or the superintendent s designee;
(3) the Commissioner of Health, ex officio, or the commissioner s designee;
(4) the Commissioner of Community Affairs, ex officio, or the commissioner s designee;
(5) the Chief Administrator of the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission, ex officio, or the chief administrator s designee;
(6) the Director of the Office of Environmental Justice in the Department of Environmental Protection, ex officio, or the director s designee;
(7) the Executive Director of the New Jersey Transit Corporation, ex officio, or the executive director s designee;
(8) the Executive Director of the North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority, ex officio, or the executive director s designee;
(9) the Executive Director of the South Jersey Transportation Planning Organization, ex officio, or the executive director s designee;
(10) a New Jersey resident appointed by the Executive Director of the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission;
(11) a representative of the Department of Transportation with expertise in bicycle and pedestrian programs, who shall be designated by the Commissioner of Transportation;
(12) two members of the Senate, one of whom shall be appointed by the Senate President and one of whom shall be appointed by the Minority Leader of the Senate, which members shall not be of the same political party;
(13) two members of the General Assembly, one of whom shall be appointed by the Speaker of the General Assembly and one of whom shall be appointed by the Minority Leader of the General Assembly, which members shall not be of the same political party; and
(14) six public members appointed by the Governor, of which one or more of the following shall be represented: a group representing vulnerable road users; a New Jersey resident that was injured or lost a family member in a traffic crash; a community that has been burdened by environmental justice issues; a person representing people with mobility, visual, or cognitive impairments; a New Jersey Transit Corporation bus rider; a person representing people between the ages of 16 and 26 who is interested and active in creating safer roadways for vulnerable road users; a person representing people over the age of 65 who is interested and active in creating safer roadways for vulnerable road users.
c. Each public member of the task force shall serve for a term of three years, except that, of the members first appointed, two members shall serve for an initial term of one year, two members shall serve for an initial term of two years, and two members shall serve for an initial term of three years. Each member shall serve for the term of appointment until the member s successor is appointed. A public member who has completed a term of membership may be reappointed to the task force. Vacancies in the task force shall be filled in the same manner as the original appointments were made.
d. The members of the task force shall be appointed within 60 days after the effective date of this act, and the task force shall hold its initial organizational meeting as soon as practicable, but no later than 30 days after the appointment of a majority of its members. The chairperson of the task force shall be selected by a majority of the membership of the task force, and the task force shall meet no less than twice per year at such places and times as the chairperson may designate. The chairperson may appoint a secretary who need not be a member of the task force.
e. Members of the task force shall serve without compensation, but may be reimbursed for travel and other necessary expenses incurred in the performance of their duties, within the limits of funds appropriated or otherwise made available to the task force for its purposes.
f. The Department of Transportation shall provide professional, stenographic, and clerical staff to the task force, as may be necessary for the task force to carry out its duties. The task force shall also be entitled to call upon the services of any State, county, or municipal department, board, commission, or agency, as may be available to it for its purposes.
2. a. For the purposes of this section:
Active transportation means mobility options powered primarily by human energy, including pedestrian mobility, such as walking and running; mobility assistive devices, such as wheelchairs, bicycles, and cycles; and small personal devices, such as skateboards and foot scooters, and that consider and address accommodations pursuant to the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. s.12101 et seq.).
Safe system approach means evaluating traffic safety and designing a transportation system with the goal of eliminating fatal and serious injuries for all road users by acknowledging that: traffic deaths and serious injuries are unacceptable, humans make mistakes, humans are vulnerable, responsibility is shared, safety is proactive, and redundancy is crucial.
Vision zero strategies means actionable strategies using the safe system approach and include, but are not limited to, prioritizing roadway design, focusing on speed management, ensuring enforcement is equitable, and utilizing impactful education strategies.
b. The purpose and duties of the task force shall be to