Township to Move Forward on State's Complete Streets Policy

The township Committee will be moving forward on the which would provide safe access to major roadways for all users, including bicyclists and pedestrians.

The Complete Streets Policy would be implemented through the planning, design, construction, maintenance and operation of new and retrofit transportation facilities within public rights of way that are federally or state funded capital programs, the resolution says.

The policy would provide safe access by designing and operating a multi-modal network of transportation options. Some of which could be imposed at the Planning Board level, Jacobs said, in addition to those administered through the DOT’s capital program.

“When it comes to Complete Streets, New Jersey is leading the way toward safety for all who share the road,” said DOT Commissioner James Simpson in a news release. “Our Department-wide policy, adopted by NJDOT in 2009, has earned high praise for New Jersey and is being used as a model by other states and communities as they craft their own policies.”

The policy would be implemented in the circulation plan of the Township’s Master Plan, Township Administrator and Municipal Clerk Veronica Laureigh said. It would be applied on a case by case basis for new roads and the complete reconstruction of roads.

“If the Planning Board who approved a subdivision wanted to have a user friendly street, they would impose that upon the developer to do that,” Laureigh said.

The township also needs to adopt the policy because in the future, all DOT grants that the township applies for will be tied into whether they have the policy in place.

“We won’t be able to apply for the grant if we don’t have a complete streets policy on board,” she said.

According to the DOT, the policy would:

• Improve safety for pedestrians, bicyclists, children, older citizens, non-drivers and the mobility challenged.
• Provide connections to bicycling and areas of employment, education, residential, recreation, retail centers and public facilities.
• Promote healthy lifestyles.
• Create more livable communities.
• Reduce traffic congestion, reliance on carbon fuels, and greenhouse gas emissions.
• Make fiscal sense by incorporating such infrastructures into the initial design of projects rather than later.

Retrofits included in the policy are sidewalks, curb ramps, crosswalks, countdown pedestrian signals, signs, median refuges, curb extensions, pedestrian scale lighting, bike lanes, shoulders and bus shelters.

Paved shoulders or a multi-use path should be developed in all new construction and reconstruction projects on roadways used by more than 1,000 vehicles per day.

The policy also requires the DOT to establish a procedure to evaluate resurfacing projects—length of project, local support, environmental constraints, right-of-way limitations, funding and resources and bicycle and pedestrian compatibility.

A Local Aid Program will also be developed by the DOT for municipalities and counties.

The following exemptions would be considered: non-motorized users are prohibited on the roadway; scarcity of population, travel and attractors indicates the absence of need for Complete Streets Policy accommodations; detrimental environmental or social impacts outweigh the need for accommodations; cost of accommodations is excessively disproportionate to the cost of the project; the safety or timing of the project is compromised by the inclusion of Complete Streets.

The township has to develop a resolution before adopting the policy.

In other news at the Committee meeting:

• The Committee will move forward on The amendment says that the board can determine as to whether a Certified Appraiser will be needed to provide professional services. If necessary, the developer will have to post additional escrow deposits to cover the expenses of the board in conjunction with the professional certified appraiser. The costs are set throughout the chapter. The fees would be a minimum of $1,700. An ordinance has to be prepared.
• The Committee authorized the receipt of bids for a During the budget process, the township approved to include $170,000 towards the capital requests for this pumper. The truck would replace the company’s 1978 vehicle and the total cost is $450,000.
• The township received an Emergency Management Performance grant of $106,910 for emergency services radios for the Lacey Office of Emergency Management. This is a reimbursement grant so the township would have to put the money out prior to receiving it back. Story to follow.
• An information session on the will be held on Thursday, Aug. 30 at the Municipal Building from 4 to 7 p.m. Story to follow.