SENATE BUDGET AND APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE
STATEMENT TO
ASSEMBLY, No. 1476
with committee amendments
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
DATED: DECEMBER 9, 2024
The Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee reports favorably
and with committee amendments Assembly Bill No. 1476.
As amended and reported, this bill establishes the “New Jersey
Target Zero Commission” (commission). The commission is to
consist of 13 members as outlined in the bill.
The purpose and duties of the commission are to study, examine,
and review all aspects of traffic safety with a particular focus on
access, equity, and mobility for all road users using the safe system
approach and to advise the Governor, the Legislature, and the
Department of Transportation (DOT) regarding policies, programs,
research, and priorities to help achieve the goal of eliminating traffic
fatalities and serious injuries. To fulfill its purpose and duties, the
commission is required to:
(1) review any relevant, existing safety plans brought to the
commission by its members, identify ways to advance target zero
strategies, and develop a comprehensive and coordinated action plan
to help achieve the goal of eliminating traffic fatalities and serious
injuries on all public roadways in the State by 2040 through
engineering, education, and enforcement systems that analyze
physical transportation designs with a focus on the equitable
treatment of all transportation users; provided that the action plan
does not include implementation of traffic control signal monitoring
system technology;
(2) identify short-term and long-term data-driven strategies with
measurable goals and target dates to reduce traffic fatalities and
serious injuries with the goal of eliminating all traffic fatalities and
serious injuries by 2040; provided that the strategies do not include
implementation of traffic control signal monitoring system
technology;
(3) develop and adopt the action plan, that includes
implementation of certain strategies, no later than the first day of the
12th month following the effective date of the bill and, prior to
adoption of the action plan, host a public hearing to receive public
feedback concerning the proposed action plan, which must be
published on the commission’s Internet website no less than 72 hours
before the public hearing; 2
(4) promote effective and transparent collection of traffic safety
data and dissemination of such data via a publicly accessible data
portal that includes, but is not limited to, the most dangerous
intersections in the State, traffic crash data with information on non-
fatal injuries and demographic data, and a high injury network that
indicates the roadways in the State with the highest injury rates;
(5) encourage the elimination of road hazards by advancing active
transportation and mass transit as safe and viable forms of
transportation throughout the State for persons of all ages and
abilities;
(6) provide recommendations for changes to State, county, and
municipal law to achieve the goal of eliminating all traffic fatalities
and serious injuries by 2040; provided that the recommendations do
not include implementation of traffic control signal monitoring
system technology;
(7) review any relevant, existing safety plans brought to the
commission by its members and develop the action plan to implement
and promote the safe system approach, target zero strategies, and
evidenced-based safety countermeasures to help achieve the goal of
eliminating traffic fatalities and severe injuries among all road users
by 2040; provided that the action plan does not include
implementation of traffic control signal monitoring system
technology;
(8) create and maintain an interactive Internet website to provide
information about the commission, including, but not limited to:
information on the membership of the commission; plans, progress
reports, meeting notes, agendas, and minutes of the commission;
educational materials about target zero; and a link to the safety portal;
(9) serve as an advisor to the Department of Transportation and
other State agencies and transportation authorities with regard to
roadway planning and transportation infrastructure planning;
(10) provide advice and assistance to county and municipal
governments regarding the data resources available to them to
develop their own target zero plans; and
(11) report annually to the Governor and to the Legislature.
As amended and reported, Assembly Bill No. 1476 is identical to
the Senate Committee Substitute for Senate Bill No. 361, which was
also amended and reported by the committee on this date.
COMMITTEE AMENDMENTS :
The committee amended the bill to:
(1) include definitions for “traffic control signal” and “traffic control
signal monitoring system” and to clarify that the commission’s action
plans, strategies, and recommendations are not to include
implementation of traffic control signal monitoring system technology
to determine whether a traffic control signal violation occurred and to
issue a summons or assess any penalties for a violation; 3
(2) require the commission to review relevant, existing safety plans
brought to the commission by its members and identify ways to advance
target zero strategies;
(3) provide that an action plan is to include certain short-term and
long-term data-driven strategies;
(4) provide that the commission may consult with policy experts
outside the fields specified in the bill; and
(5) specify that the commission is required to provide advice and
assistance to county and municipal governments regarding the data
resources available to them to develop their own target zero plans. Prior
to this amendment, the bill required the commission to provide advice
and assistance to county and municipal governments to develop their
own target zero plans.
FISCAL IMPACT:
This bill has not been certified as requiring a fiscal note.