Giving Tuesday and End of Year Gift 2023
Our Annual Appeal
Dear neighbor,
Two years ago my friend, J, was riding home in Jersey City when he was in a crash with a vehicle that left him lying unconscious in the street. The driver of the vehicle was never identified. A bystander called 911 and J was transferred to Jersey City Medical Center, where he was treated for life-threatening injuries, including multiple spinal surgeries over the next two months. J survived, but he would never be the same. Many of us have been in crashes or know others who have been in crashes.
In 2022, more than 42,000 people in the U.S. died in car crashes–the population equivalent of Kearny. In Hudson County, we have lost 25 people thus far this year, representing a 47% increase over 2022. The seriously injured count many more.
Yet we know that crashes are preventable. Safer streets are achievable, and fortunately, we have seen some significant advances in the movement for Complete Streets, led and supported by citizens such as you. As volunteer advocates, we at Hudson County Complete Streets are proud to deliver the accomplishments below as our track record. However, we know the efforts to achieve zero traffic deaths in Hudson County have only just begun. In order to achieve this important goal, we need your help to grow.
Please consider making a sustaining gift today. Your statement of commitment to safe streets for all in Hudson County will have ramifications across the region. And if you give between now and November 28th, your gift will be matched by our generous Founding Donors up to $10,000. We want to thank Juan Ramirez for allowing us to tell his story.
Thank you for your support,
Emmanuelle Morgen
Co-founder, Hudson County Complete Streets
Accomplishments
🚸 In September 2022, we asked Hudson County leadership to apply for a Vision Zero Action Plan grant - and they did. In August 2023, Hudson County launched its Vision Zero Action Plan task force, including a seat for HCCS.
💰 In March 2023, we applied for and won a Transformative Climate Communities grant from Rutgers University, which helped pay for six months of programming, materials, an upcoming video, and the HCCS cargo ebike.
🏛️ In May 2023, we hosted a candidate forum to ask candidates running for political office in our communities to share their vision for safe streets, access to transit, and system-wide transportation improvements in Hudson County.
🚲 In June 2023, we asked Hudson County leadership to build an extension of the Bergen Avenue multimodal cycle path on Kennedy Boulevard to the Journal Square PATH, to serve the more than 17,000 people on bicycles and scooters who access that intersection daily, and we received a commitment for the first bike lane to be built on a county roadway in more than 10 years.
🌳 In September 2023, we asked Hudson County leadership to apply for the Reconnecting Communities grant in order to re-envision a safer Rte. 139 – and they did.
⚠️ In October 2023, in response to the Paterson Plank Road crash, we asked Hudson County leadership for 1. short-term safety improvements in the form of vertical delineators; 2. long-term safety improvements that include infrastructure for pedestrians and people on micro-mobility devices; 3. A restructuring of the county Engineering and Planning departments to ensure coordination between them, and 4. A press release or public statement to communicate safety improvement plans with the public. All of these requests were met or are under consideration.
🖊️ In 2023, we wrote and published three op-eds, on congestion pricing, the A&C bus lines, and safer road designs. In addition, our efforts have been covered in dozens of media stories.
📊 In 2023, we plotted and graphed NJ Fatal Traffic statistics, Hudson County motor vehicle usage, and Citi Bike usage.
📚 In 2023, we participated in events and delivered presentations in schools and colleges, including All Saints School, St. Peter’s University and Hudson County Community College.
🎊 In 2023, volunteers organized and worked at more than 40 public events, including community meetings about traffic safety, community bike rides, bike bus, free bike repair events, bike valets, and more.
📣 In 2023, volunteers organized or participated in rallies to support transit and oppose the turnpike widening and rallies to support NYC congestion pricing.
We did all this with your help and with your support next year we will do so much more!
