Highlight Jersey City projects
transit: rideshare service powered by via
In an effort to provide a more affordable and more convenient transit option for residents of Greenville, the Heights, and the West Side, Jersey City launched an on-demand ride share service powered by Via in 2019. The service utilizes purple minivans and costs just $2 for most rides. Ridership data shows 50% of riders have income less than $50k/year and 75%+ of riders are minority groups (non-white). It has also been Via’s most successful deployment in the world (170+ cities and counting).
technology: improving municipal service delivery and workflow with new digital tools
Jersey City has deployed a variety of new technology tools to ensure the highest quality service delivery, enhanced communication with residents, greater oversight of internal workflows, and improved accountability. Key projects include: a digital parking meter app (ParkMobile), digital communication kiosks, a digital council legislative agenda management system, New Jersey’s first Open Data Portal, online payments and applications, body cameras for police officers, COVID body temperature and face mask scanners, and integrated mapping and GPS tools for drivers in Jersey City.
Safe Streets: “vision zero” and Jersey city’s first protected bike lane network
In 2018 Jersey City became one of the first cites in the United States to adopt the Vision Zero initiative to eliminate traffic related deaths and serious injuries and to make our streets safer for all road users (pedestrians, cyclists, drivers, and any others). Since then the City has built over 250 speed humps and over 40 “curb extensions”, adjusted the timing on most of the traffic signals in the City, installed nearly 70 parklets, implemented 6 new pedestrian plazas, and has constructed nearly 10 miles of new protected bike lanes in the first two years of Vision Zero efforts.
sustainability: electrification of the municipal fleet
Jersey City has an aggressive plan to convert all municipal vehicles from diesel or gas to battery electric by 2030, with at least 10% of new vehicles being electric starting in 2020. This includes not only electric police vehicles but also some of the first fully electric garbage trucks in the United States. The City also installed a 1.23MW solar array at the Department of Public Works to not only power the facility (and reduce energy costs for years to come) but to also provide solar powered charging for municipal fleet vehicles.
economic development: a suite of initiatives to support small businesses
In 2015 the Jersey City Office of Innovation (in collaboration with Bloomberg Philanthropies) began creating solutions to the most complex challenges faced by small businesses in Jersey City, ranging from a new Office of Small Business Services, free storefront space for new or struggling small businesses at Jackson Square, new grants and loans, free professional development classes to ensure business owners have the skills and knowledge they need to success, and free marketing campaigns leveraging the City’s social media channels.
Municipal finances: 4 credit rating upgrades and no tax increases for 6 of last 7 years
Since 2013 Jersey City has received 4 credit rating upgrades due to strengthening fiscal oversight and protocols, controls to ensure limits on debt issuance and minimum cash reserves (fund balance), new procedures for planning and forecasting, and the creation of a new Department of Finance. Taxes have remained flat for 6 of the last 7 budgets and the City was even able to weather the COVID-19 budget crisis with no tax increases or furloughs of employees while maintaining all essential City services.