well the state's most densely populated county has a plan to eliminate traffic fatalities that have plagued its congested roads the Hudson County Executive today launched a vision zero task force it's modeled after similar successful programs in the County's two largest cities Hoboken and Jersey City where safer streets are saving lives Ted Goldberg reports this is the beginning of a new a new process the beginning of a new Hudson County the vision zero task force in Hudson County has an ambitious goal we want no one not a single More Death from any vehicle traffic anyone Crossing across the street anyone that's biking we want it to be safe for everyone the 20 plus person panel is a county sized version of The Vision zero task forces in Jersey City and Hoboken which supporters say are the reason for fewer people killed by traffic in both cities none in Hoboken in 4 years while Jersey City didn't have any deaths in 2022 the ability to travel on our streets regardless of your means of transportation um and the ability to do so safely is a public right and it is our job as the designers and the legislators and the decision makers of our transportation system to afford that right to every single user of our street a main focus of the task force is sure to be John F Kennedy Boulevard Long considered one of the most dangerous roads in the county it's a two-lane Highway unfortunately in the minds of most drivers I've had constituents that have passed away because they live on the elderly they're little elderly they live on the Western Slope section and they can't make it across the light I've seen an officer get hit but with my very own eyes on Kennedy Boulevard and you know things have to change I was uh I'm a retired lieutenant from Jersey City I took part in in doing far too many accident reports over my career up on Kennedy Boulevard we need a change we need we need to look at the Kennedy Boulevard safety hasard uh from a holistic point of view it's hard to disagree on wanting Safe Streets but figuring out how to get there could pose problems for Leaders with different priorities around the county it's important that everybody buys into this and we're all looking to work together to um to come to good compromises and to good Solutions to problems uh to ensure that everyone is safe we've been very car Centric for a long time in New Jersey and in Hudson County and things things have to change uh not just because there's there's crashes but also because of the environment uh we know we need to invest in transit so there there is a a mindset change that's going to have to happen over time Task Force member Talia Schwarz knows it'll be a process but some fixes could pop up sooner than you think figuring out where those difficult intersections are and putting up uh some some quick Flex posts uh blocking you know making visibility much easier those intersections uh paint which helps slows uh cars just narrowing Lanes sometimes according to data from the State Attorney General's office 15 people have died this year in traffic related accidents in Hudson County reducing that number to zero could be a challenge in New Jersey's denstist County but the vision zero task force believes it's a goal they can achieve in Jersey City I'm T Goldberg NJ Spotlight News