Hackensack council hears NV5 bicycle plan proposing protected lanes, city pilot demonstrations

Consultants from NV5 and NJDOT presented a comprehensive bicycle plan to the Hackensack City Council on May 5, outlining a prioritized network and 44 recommended implementation actions.

"Hackinac is a bicycle friendly city where people of all ages and abilities can travel by bicycle and where measurable steps are taken annually to create and maintain a complete bicycle network," said Rajnet, project manager for NV5, as he summarized the plan’s vision and goals. NV5 said the study was guided by a steering committee that included Bergen County Complete Streets, NJDOT and local stakeholders.

The presentation detailed extensive outreach and seven years of crash data analysis. Consultants reported 14,510 total crashes from 2016–2022 in Hackensack with 100 involving bicyclists; 45 of those crashes produced injuries or fatalities, which the presenters said supported the need for design changes and safer facilities. NV5 recommended a typology of facility treatments—ranging from shared lanes to protected bicycle lanes—and mapped a priority network. The plan labels protected facilities in red, on-road dedicated lanes in yellow and shared lanes in blue, and identifies waterfront trails in green.

NV5 urged the city to begin implementation on roads it owns, noting that about 60% of the priority network falls on city-owned streets and can therefore move faster than county- or state-owned corridors. The consultants identified Prospect, Atlantic, Railroad Avenue and Berry Street among key starter corridors and proposed a pilot bicycle-lane demonstration program with five temporary installations to test designs and build community awareness.

Public commenters generally welcomed the plan. "It's not safe to ride on the streets anymore," said Josh Cohen, a Hackensack resident who urged the council to pursue pilots and grant funding and recommended a library equipment loan to stage demonstrations. Council members said the plan will be posted on the city website and circulated in the city newsletter, and NJDOT grant funding for the study was acknowledged.

Next steps spelled out by the consultants include targeted grant seeking, engineering on priority corridors and community engagement around pilot demonstrations. The city council did not take action at the meeting; staff said details about funding and permitting—particularly for county- or state-owned roads—will determine the timetable for construction and pilots.

The plan and supporting materials are available on the city website for public review, and the council urged residents to comment through posted channels.