Every number is a life. Drive distraction free.
Middlesex County’s Vision Zero Action Plan takes a multi-pronged approach to improving road safety by:
LEVERAGING TECHNOLOGY AND DATA. Understanding traffic patterns and driver behavior is critical to helping prevent serious traffic accidents. In addition to insights gleaned from its annual Transportation Symposium, Middlesex County is using data from its Southern Middlesex County Freight Movement Study, completed in 2023, to help improve safety on local roads throughout the southern portion of the County. In the future, Middlesex County will also use data collected by DataCity, its autonomous and smart mobility initiative. Information will be processed in the County’s Network Operations Center, opening this year. Additionally, the County’s Vision Zero Action Plan is supplemented by targeted initiatives like the Route 1 Safer Travel Initiative. Led by the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office in partnership with the NJDOT, this multijurisdictional task force includes multiple municipal law enforcement agencies and leverages data t o help mitigate and prevent traffic collisions and fatalities on the critical Route 1 thoroughfare. IMPROVING INFRASTRUCTURE. The County is investing in key infrastructure projects designed to improve the overall safety of its roadways, such as: • Redesigning intersections and reconfiguring corners and roadways • Replacing outdated traffic light systems with new, modernized traffic light systems at critical intersections • Installing new traffic lights and signals where needed • Repaving roads and painting lines to reduce roadway hazards • Modifying sidewalks and curbs to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
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Deadly traffic crashes are on the rise in New Jersey, despite fatalities decreasing nationwide. Even one death is too many, so Middlesex County is addressing this issue head-on through its Vision Zero initiative, which seeks to eliminate traffic fatalities and severe injuries while promoting equitable mobility for all road users.
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County Commissioner Kenny, Chair of the County Transportation Committee, addresses the audience at the County’s 2025 Transportation Symposium
EDUCATING THE PUBLIC. Distracted driving is the top cause of fatal and serious injury crashes, so in May, the County launched a public service announcement (PSA) campaign to educate drivers. The PSA campaign asks drivers to take the pledge to drive safely by only focusing on driving while operating a motor vehicle. Additionally, for several years Middlesex County has held a Safe Driving PSA Contest, inviting teams of high school students from across the County to create PSAs that speak directly to their peers. The contest is designed to teach as many young people as possible about the dangers of distracted driving. Learn more about how Middlesex County is improving road safety at middlesexcountynj.gov/transportation.
Vision Zero was the focus of the County’s second annual Transportation Symposium in March. The event brought together municipal officials, transportation stakeholders, members of law enforcement, and utility providers to network, share ideas, and discuss key transportation initiatives shaping the County’s future. Keynote speaker and Middlesex County native Jessie Singer, a journalist and expert in safe systems who wrote the book There Are No Accidents: The Deadly Rise of Injury and Disaster — Who Profits and Who Pays the Price, applauded the County’s Vision Zero efforts. “Vision Zero is more than a slogan or a lofty goal. It’s a data- driven approach to saving lives and reducing serious injuries that relies on redesigning our streets and our transportation policies so that people’s mistakes and bad decisions on the road are not death sentences,” said Singer. “I am pleased to see Middlesex County leading their efforts with those bold, hopeful ideals.”
The County received a Complete Streets Excellence Award from the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) for its Vision Zero Action Plan, which identifies crash locations, maps high-injury corridors, documents existing programs, and outlines a comprehensive strategy focused on crash prevention through engineering, education, encouragement, enforcement, continual evaluation, and partnerships. “Middlesex County is proud to lead the way in creating safer roads through our Vision Zero Action Plan — the first county-led initiative of its kind in New Jersey.” County Commissioner Charles Kenny, Chair of the Transportation Committee
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10 Your Middlesex | 2025 Issue 2
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