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Residents, safety advocates urge Oakland and county to act after fatal crash at Route 202 intersection
Summary
At the Aug. 26 Oakland Mayor and Council meeting, local Complete Streets advocates urged the borough and county to pursue low-cost safety fixes after a crash that killed Jalen Gomez; advocates offered technical assistance and called attention to repeated near-misses at the intersection along Route 202.
Chris Knowell, co-founder of Bergen County Complete Streets and bike-and-ped assistant manager at EasyRide, urged Oakland officials at the Aug. 26 Mayor and Council meeting to pursue immediate safety changes after a crash that killed Jalen Gomez.
“I was obviously heartbroken to learn the news,” Knowell said, describing visits to the crash memorial and repeated near-misses while crossing the same intersection on Route 202. He urged the borough to coordinate with county officials and noted Oakland’s recent adoption of a Complete Green Street policy and a TA set-aside grant application as relevant tools.
Knowell offered technical support and collaboration, saying some recommended fixes are “very simple and cheap or even no cost and quick to implement.” Pat Deroma, a Bergen County safe-streets advocate who said he has raised the intersection with county commissioners, echoed the request for coordination with the county and offered assistance getting the issue on the county’s agenda.
A council member thanked the residents for attending and acknowledged limits on what the borough can do on a county-controlled road, saying the comments and grief from the community were important. The council did not vote or direct staff to a specific plan during the meeting.
Why it matters: the crash that killed a local resident has prompted calls for rapid, tactical changes at a busy Route 202 crossing. Advocates urged leveraging municipal planning work, county safety plans and low-cost measures that can reduce conflicts between drivers and people walking or biking.
What’s next: advocates encouraged the borough to coordinate with the county and said they are available to help prioritize quick interventions. No formal timeline or staff assignment was announced during the meeting.
