Nikhil Badlani, 11, died in 2011 after a driver failed to stop at a stop sign in South Orange and hit his dad’s van, when the family was just two miles from home. His family now is part of a coalition pushing state lawmakers to create a commission to devise ways to eliminate traffic fatalities in New Jersey by 2040. (Photo courtesy of Badlani family)
Eleven-year-old Nikhil Badlani was just two miles from home when a driver blew through a stop sign and smashed into his dad’s van at a South Orange intersection, causing a three-car wreck that cost the middle-schooler his life.
Since the 2011 crash, Badlani’s family has been on a crusade to make New Jersey’s roadways safer. Now, they’re part of a coalition, the Vision Zero NJ Alliance, that’s pushing state legislators to pass a bill that would create a multi-agency commission tasked with devising strategies to eliminate all traffic fatalities and serious injuries in New Jersey by 2040.
“We’re hoping that the elected leaders will focus more on this crisis, because that’s what it is,” said Sangeeta Badlani, Nikhil’s mother.
More than 580 people have died in traffic crashes in New Jersey so far this year, while the state’s roads claimed another 606 lives last year, according to the Vision Zero NJ Alliance. While that includes pedestrians, cyclists, drivers, and passengers, the death toll disproportionately impacts those who walk or bike; pedestrian deaths rose nearly 40% this year, putting New Jersey among the top 20 states for pedestrian fatalities, according to the alliance.
“New Jersey has been so car-centric. There’s so many gaps in our networks when it comes to walking and biking,” Badlani said.
The bill that’s now under consideration would create a 13-member “New Jersey Target Zero Commission,” with representatives not only from transportation agencies like the state Motor Vehicle Commission, NJ Transit, and the state Turnpike Authority, but also state police and the health, community affairs, human services, and environmental protection departments.
“That’s a key provision because it’s not just a transportation issue. It’s a health issue, it’s a law enforcement issue, it’s an environmental justice issue,” Badlani said.
The commission would develop an action plan to end traffic fatalities through engineering, education, and enforcement, hold a public hearing on its plan, and create a public portal for traffic safety data that would include the state’s most dangerous intersections and roadways and data on crashes, injuries and demographics. The commission also would encourage mass transit, advise state agencies and transportation authorities on transportation and infrastructure planning, and encourage county and municipal governments to develop their own “target zero” plans.
The commission would report annually to the governor and Legislature.
The bill has passed unanimously twice in the full Assembly, first in June 2023 and most recently in September. But it stalled in the state Senate both in the last legislative session and the current one, largely over state Department of Transportation concerns, according to advocates and the bill’s prime Senate sponsor, Sen. Patrick Diegnan Jr. (D-Middlesex).
“DOT, etcetera, has specific language that they wanted, to be certain it’s done correctly. I don’t think there’s any attempt to block it,” Diegnan told the New Jersey Monitor Monday. “Everybody’s on board. I mean, the goal is absolutely perfect. Nobody’s disagreeing. But we’re trying to get language right, because we don’t want some conditional veto.”
Diegnan didn’t have details on the department’s specific concerns, and state offices were closed Monday for the Veterans Day holiday.
But Badlani said the agency wants the state’s “target zero” plan to be part of its strategic highway safety plan, which it must update every five years to get federal funding. That plan calls for a reduction in traffic fatalities, Badlani acknowledged, but “we’re saying we need a different plan because their plan that they’ve been developing for years is not working.”
That plan focuses on individual behavior, education and enforcement, ignoring physical infrastructure design and the role of mass transit and active transportation like walking and biking, said Cory Hannigan of the Tri-State Transportation Campaign.
Hannigan testified at a May hearing on the bill before the Assembly’s transportation committee, pointing out that even one of Gov. Phil Murphy’s aides died this year on one of New Jersey’s deadliest roads.
“Around 50% of the traffic deaths in New Jersey are on just 7% of our roads, most of which are state roads,” Hannigan told lawmakers. “We need Vision Zero at the state level to address this.”
A stream of people who lost loved ones on New Jersey’s roads echoed Hannigan’s call during that hearing and implored legislators to support the bill.
Diegnan said he hopes the Senate’s budget committee will hear the bill next month, so that the full Senate can vote on it before the holidays.
“There’s places in New Jersey that get it, like Hoboken, Jersey City, etcetera, but New Jersey is such a diverse state, the issue in Sussex County is totally different than the issue in Jersey City or New Brunswick, or, you know, pick your town,” Diegnan said. “So this commission would give recommendations, and let’s put this way, it may not be the ultimate answer, but at least it will be a first step.”
Supporters plan to hold a vigil at Metuchen’s borough hall on Sunday, the global World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims, to honor lives lost and urge New Jersey legislators to act on the bill.
Badlani will be there. She hopes New Jersey’s lawmakers will be listening — but she’s not sure, pointing to the August deaths of professional hockey star Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew, who were biking in Salem County when an allegedly drunk driver mowed them down.
“When the Gaudreau brothers died and it made national news, everybody pledged to do the best to make our roads safer. But then we don’t see any action,” Badlani said. “I’m hoping that some more senators will jump on board, and we’ll see some traction on this bill. But I think prioritizing safety has not been on their radar, and we need to see that happen.”
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