Credit – David Gomez

The NJSEA’s David Gomez took this great photo of the Meadowlands’ resident Peregrine Falcon on Friday evening during the Authority’s Pontoon Boat Tour. Did you know that the Peregrine Falcon is the fastest animal on Earth? It reaches dive speeds of over 240 miles per hour. The Peregrine is also a fierce predator, hunting hundreds species of birds.

What happens when you put a map of the Meadowlands in front of the people who drive, walk, and bike it every day? You get an invaluable roadmap for a safer community.

On July 25, the NJSEA brought their “Lemonade with a Transportation Planner and Engineer” booth to Butterfly Day. The goal was simple: invite participants to share what they experience on local roads and highlight what needs to be improved across the Meadowlands transportation network.

The event marked NJSEA’s first public outreach pop-up since adopting the Meadowlands Action Plan for Safety (MAP4S) on December 18, 2025. More than 47 community members stopped by to chat about traffic safety within the district. Participants pointed out specific safety hazard areas on the map, sharing real-world observations, and bright ideas that only locals would know.

What We Heard: Local Insights for Safer Streets

Our conversations brought forward invaluable local insights. Several clear themes emerged about what is working and where we need to focus our efforts:

• Walking and crossing safety: Participants highlighted sidewalk gaps, uneven pavement, missing crosswalks, and low visibility for pedestrians, particularly in busy corridors such as Tonnelle Avenue.
• Biking, scooters, and trails: There is a strong community desire for expanded trail networks to create safer, more comfortable spaces for people who are walking, biking, or using scooters.
• Community connections: Navigation between key destinations or other neighborhood communities can be challenging such as accessing Riverside Park in Lyndhurst or driving  to Jersey City via Route 7 bridge.
• Traffic and driver behavior: Participants expressed a need for increased traffic enforcement at stop signs and signals, alongside growing concerns regarding driver yielding habits and parking management.
• Roadway and infrastructure maintenance: Feedback emphasized the need to address infrastructure deficiencies including potholes, drainage, aging bridges, and heavy congestion near schools and daycare centers.

The conversation wasn’t all about problems. Visitors also highlighted what is working well such as the recent pedestrian and bike pathway connections in Lyndhurst.

Translating Community Feedback into our Vision Zero 2040 Initiative

This firsthand input is vital to advancing the MAP4S and achieving our Vision Zero objectives. By hearing directly from those who travel throughout the Meadowlands District, the NJSEA can better understand critical community needs and gaps. This invaluable data allows us to identify targeted transportation improvements, coordinate effectively with stakeholders, and move into the implementation phase.  Best of all, this conversation is just getting started.

Thank you to everyone who stopped by on Butterfly Day and took the time to share your experiences with us. Your feedback is invaluable and brings us one step closer to our goal of zero fatalities and serious injuries by 2040.

Join Us at the Meadowlands Birding Festival

On October 4, we’ll bring another pop-up event to the Meadowlands Birding Festival at DeKorte Park to hear about your traffic safety concerns. Know a trouble spot where you don’t feel safe biking or walking? Have an idea for making a connection safer or want to share what’s already working well? We want to hear from you!

The festival runs from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Stop by, grab some lemonade, and share your thoughts.

Join the Bergen County Audubon Society as they lead a walk through Losen Slote Creek Park in Little Ferry, one of the last remaining low-lying forests in the Meadowlands. Be on the lookout for warblers, Wood thrush and Waterthrush. The walk is from 10 a.m. to noon.

Trails may be muddy; boots are highly recommended. Park in the lot adjacent to the soccer field on Mehrhof Road.

Contact: Don Torino – greatauk4@gmail.com or 201-230-4983.