Millburn, NJ, adopted a Complete Streets program in 2014, outlining a series of goals and objectives to make the streets safer for pedestrians, improve traffic flow, address intersection congestion, and slow traffic where appropriate.
A three-phase implementation plan was developed with a robust series of traffic calming and other improvements that include road-diets, curb bump-outs, bicycle parking, widened corners, high-visibility crosswalks, pedestrian lighting, signage, and more.
Work on phase I began in July when a stretch of Main Street was converted into a downtown event space featuring widened sidewalks, a concrete roadbed, and overhead strands of lights.
Next, the adjacent Millburn Avenue saw wider sidewalks, fresh landscaping with more than 40 new street trees, corner bump-outs, and high-visibility crosswalks. Modern traffic signals and timing were also incorporated into the design to improve traffic flow.
Positive impacts of Phase I were already being noted in September, including a reduction in average roadway speeds down to 29 mph, and a 23-percent reduction in motor vehicle and pedestrian accidents.
The full article on Millburn’s Complete Streets project appeared in the November issue of Downtown Idea Exchange. The Township Committee Presentation is online.
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