Update from Mayor Bhalla on COVID-19 (5/14), open streets pilot to continue on Adams Street this weekend

Hoboken New Relief fund

Source Nixel
Impact of COVID-19 in Hoboken

The Hoboken Health Department reported no new cases or fatalities due to COVID-19 yesterday in Hoboken. Hoboken’s total cases as of this morning are 540 known, confirmed COVID-19 cases and 26 fatalities.

Open Street on Adams Street this weekend

I’m glad to share that we are continuing our “open streets” pilot this weekend on Adams Street between 3rd and 9th Streets. Last weekend’s successful open streets pilot on Jefferson Street demonstrated that open streets serve as a great way to get fresh air, safely social distance, and help alleviate crowds in public parks. Residents can utilize this space this weekend for walking, biking and jogging.

Adams Street between 3rd and 9th Streets will be restricted to vehicular traffic between 8 am and 8 pm on Saturday and Sunday. Traffic Control Officers will be on hand to assist residents gaining access to garages and to move vehicles. Congregating is prohibited, and face masks should be worn at all times.

I’ve received a few additional comments about requests to close Sinatra Drive to vehicular traffic. As mentioned previously, while I support this during normal times, unfortunately we could see additional people from outside Hoboken coming to our waterfront as the weather gets nicer. We want to ensure that closing Sinatra Drive does not have the unintended consequence of making our waterfront even more of a destination for non-residents, which is not ideal during COVID-19.

Open Streets Survey

Over 2,280 people filled out the City’s open street survey this week. 88% of total respondents want “open streets” to continue during the COVID-19 pandemic to provide additional space for social distancing. 74% want open streets to continue when COVID-19 is no longer a factor, while 84% want Washington Street to operate as an open street, even if it meant a temporary loss in parking.
When asked for their primary reason for using the open street, 75% said for recreation and 17% said it was on their way to another destination. Users reported walking and biking as their most common activities.