COVID-19: Safety in Our Neighborhoods
Fewer people are driving, and that’s a good thing. With fewer vehicles on the road there are opportunities for creating safe spaces in our communities for people to walk and bike, especially as people travel by foot or other wheeled devices for essential jobs and to get food and supply items.
- Since there are fewer cars on the roads, driver speeding can increase. To reduce speeds and give more room for people walking and bicycling to maintain a safe distance, consider redistributing street width to expand walking areas and narrow travel lanes. Use cones, barrels and bollards to temporarily widen walking and/or bicycling areas. This has the added benefit of also slowing motor vehicle speeds which has multiple safety and health benefits.
- Ask local leaders to slow streets for motor vehicles so people can walk and bicycle while maintaining a safe distance of at least 6 feet. In New Brunswick, George Street was closed to accommodate physically distanced dining.
- Streets with no sidewalks and/or shoulders or low traffic volumes can be temporarily designated for local traffic only, and thereby create safer areas for residents to walk or bike.
- Work with local leaders to install temporary bike lanes, which provide increased safety for cyclists and can demonstrate the potential for permanent bikeways in your community.
- For the latest information on the status of New Jersey state parks, visit the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection COVID-19 in State Parks page.
- County parks and golf courses are open. Before going to a park, check with your county to make sure it’s open, and be sure to follow social distancing guidelines when visiting.
- When in your home, take advantage of online resources to keep yourself engaged. There are many websites providing virtual tours of museums in New Jersey and throughout the world. Check out this article to get started.