Chris Nowell, a Fort Lee resident and pedestrian‑safety advocate, told the board he visited the intersection in Oakland where a pedestrian, Jalen Gomez, was killed and observed drivers failing to yield to pedestrians at the marked crossing.
"Leading pedestrian intervals cost nothing to implement," Nowell said, arguing the county should implement low‑cost measures at LSAP‑identified priority intersections rather than relying on a slow, 20‑projects‑per‑year approach that would take many years to address the plan’s priority list.
Nowell urged the commissioners to press county engineering and planning staff to prioritize implementation, create accountability, and consider reallocating funds from lower‑priority line items to a concentrated safety initiative. He also suggested county services could supply hardware such as plastic delineators to temporarily improve safety while engineering work proceeds.
A county speaker acknowledged the LSAP exists and said engineering and planning departments are working on it; no immediate county vote or funding reallocation to implement the specific measures was recorded at the meeting. Nowell said he planned to present concerns to the Oakland Town Council when it meets and urged commissioners to follow up with county staff.
The board’s committee reports showed continued attention to shared services, open‑space grants and safety initiatives broadly, but the transcript does not record a formal board directive to accelerate LSAP implementation at this meeting.