What is daylighting and how much space does it require?

Daylighting is a 25-foot parking-free zone at street corners to improve crosswalk visibility. Drivers can see pedestrians; pedestrians can see oncoming vehicles. Hoboken enforces the 25-foot clear zone citywide and has recorded zero traffic deaths of any kind in the nine years since January 2017.

How does daylighting improve pedestrian safety?

Parked cars at corners create blind spots where drivers cannot see pedestrians and pedestrians cannot see vehicles. A 25-foot clear zone eliminates this sightline obstruction. Studies show crosswalk visibility increases crash avoidance by 30-50 percent.

What is the typical stopping distance for vehicles at common street speeds?

At 25 mph, vehicles require 58 feet to stop; at 30 mph, 76 feet. Daylighting's 25-foot zone addresses the visibility gap. Dark, unlit arterials record median impact speeds of 48 mph where daylighting is absent.

Has any other city matched Hoboken's zero-fatality record?

Hoboken's nine-year run with zero traffic deaths of any kind is exceptional. Cities with aggressive daylighting programs (Seattle, Portland) report 20-35 percent reductions in pedestrian fatalities but not zero. Hoboken's combination of daylighting plus low-speed zones (25 mph design standard) is the outlier.

What is the cost to implement daylighting citywide?

Daylighting requires only paint, signage, and enforcement, no infrastructure spending. Hoboken completed it across the city with municipal staff and budgeted resources, not capital projects.

The 25 feet that protect a crosswalk. Inside Hoboken's nine years with zero traffic deaths.

Daylighting keeps the corner clear of parked cars near a crosswalk so drivers and people crossing can see each other. Hoboken requires 25 feet citywide and has gone nine years without a traffic death.

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