Statement from Montclair Councilman Peter Yacobellis on the Passage of the Streets Are For Everyone (SAFE) Complete Streets Plan

Tonight, after several years of consideration, the Planning Board for the Township of Montclair voted 8-1 to incorporate the Streets Are For Everyone (SAFE) Complete Streets Plan into the Township Master Plan. The SAFE Plan was commissioned four years ago by the Montclair Town Council and researched by professional engineers with community input–funded by a grant from the NJ Department of Transportation, it provides well-researched guidelines on the enhancements and improvements that could guide the long term evolution of Montclair’s streets and walkways into a safe and inviting network for all forms of transportation, notably walking and bicycling.

I commend the members of the Planning Board for taking this historic action which I believe will set Montclair up for success in the long term by providing the town with well researched guidelines to help us make good decisions around transportation infrastructure as we continue to grow. I want to thank the previous Council and community leaders for all of the years of work that went into this. We wouldn’t be here without them. I’m grateful to Mayor Spiller for his progressive vision and to Councilwoman Schlager for her support from a Planning Board perspective. I also want to thank the Montclair Police Department for their strong endorsement and of course Bike & Walk Montclair for their tireless work to get us here. Lastly, I want to thank the residents and business owners from all four wards of Montclair taking the time to make their voices heard. We can design a safer future for Montclair and thanks to this action, we’re now on the right path.

The SAFE Plan can be viewed here