I feel the same. I've lived here for 20+ years, and drivers are much more aggressive and careless in my opinion. Just one example: a few weeks ago, someone downtown *sped up* to try to hit me in the crosswalk as they were turning right. As for Robin's comment about generalized anxiety, as a pedestrian, I don't feel as unsafe in other places (Hoboken, Union City, even Manhattan) as I do here (and I walk *a lot*). And like the OP, I'm generally a big fan of JC.

https://safestreetsjerseycity.org/

https://hudcostreets.org/

https://bikejc.org/

You're not alone. People are working on these things. Get involved. Contact your councilpeople. Etc.

Omg! I moved here in December and the drivers are NUTS

We all perceive this, the fact that the JCPD has basically abdicated on traffic stops means that a certain percentage of drivers and riders, that we call "assholes", do whatever they want with impunity, like the wrong way that u/DirectorBeneficial48 mentioned. I've posted videos of 'left on reds'. I think most people try to be considerate, but some just operate like everyone else in the world are NPCs in their game. The possible exception is Ebike riders who universally ignore every and all traffic laws.

I was ready to be snarky about this post and the 'wish it felt less harrowing' line but the more I thought about it, you're not even wrong. Drivers are aggressive when I'm driving and don't respect stop signs when I'm walking. Bikers are negligent or are dicks, especially the ones on sidewalks.

Kinda feel like blaming uber but feel bad that the people aren't making good money.

The fact that you're aware of all the problems simply means you're a person cognizant of their surroundings. It's not the fault of a driver or a person on a bike, it's the fault of humanity as a whole.

Earlier this week, I was riding on my bike - in the bike lane (left side of the street) - getting close to an intersection (9th and Monmouth). A car speeds up in front of me, makes a left turn going the wrong way down a one way street (9th) to drive about 30 feet to pull into a parking lot.

People are fucking stupid. It shouldn't be this way, but it is.

almost got hit earlier in downtown because some dumbass doesnt know what yield to pedestrians means

I feel the same way, like I take a gamble every time I cross Columbus and Marin

Say what you will about Hoboken, but their traffic enforcement works for a variety of reasons. One is because it’s so condensed, which jersey city can never replicate - I’ll admit. But two, it’s because the hoboken police and traffic authority are visibly auditing parking and driving enforcements on a regular basis, drivers have therefore been conditioned to be mindful of them. Everyone i know who lives in Hoboken knows the unofficial rules of parking / driving. I have never once seen a jersey city parking enforcement or regular police patrol in my two years living downtown - therein lies your issue. Why wouldn’t I do something I can get away with? Law enforcement here is an absolute joke.

Agreed. Especially in the evening/weekends/holidays when everyone feels free to drive drunk or high because they know literally no one will pull them over.

I agree. I think about this all the time. What's even more frustrating is that if the city actually started enforcing this and issuing heavy fines, JC would be so flushed with cash they wouldn't need to raise our property taxes ever again.

They should have something where you submit a video of a car breaking the law, and then you get to split the money from the ticket. No need for new cops, the city makes more money, and people would just be camped out on Columbus making a fortune - thus creating more jobs.

I was walking in the crosswalk as I had the light the other day and got yelled at by a car for slowing them down as they turned right on red. Was completely thrown off by that.

If you want to feel safe, you should never leave the Newark Avenue Pedestrian Plaza. It's the only place JCPD bothers to enforce anything.

I used to ride my motorcycle everywhere as my primary vehicle and my bicycle for local trips to the grocery store, etc. I’ve pretty much given up on both with how bad things are.

Now I either walk or drive and regardless of which method I’ve chosen I have to assume that nobody will stop at stop signs, people will still be driving through lights after they’ve turned red and I now have the green, and that if I’m walking through an intersection at a crosswalk that I’m invisible to everyone, etc.

It is getting worse basically every year. Without a doubt.

I TOTALLY agree. I have never felt as unsafe anywhere I've ever lived. I'm an avid walker, but lord knows I have almost been hit by speeding cars quite a few times (and I never jaywalk). I hate driving here, and biking? No way! I love JC, but the dangerous roads really have made me feel I can't stay forever.

2 weeks ago I was on my scooter driving down Cole's towards Newark Ave and someone ran the stop sign on 4th st and I had to skid and bail and hit the ground hard. The guy stopped got out and said I was fine to get up. Called me a pussy and laughed then drove away. All he cared to say was he didn't hit me. Which is true but he definitely caused me to fall and get hurt . It was the way he acted that really upset me. Totally uncaring.

I’d agree that being a pedestrian in JC- probably the hardest place to be a pedestrian in Hudson County. But in Newark - I actually find Newark drivers to be more aggressive than JC drivers.

Wouldn’t it be great if everyone followed the rules and stay in the paths specifically designed for their mode of transportation?

I agree 100%.

I've been thinking about this a bunch while driving and walking in the Heights the last few months (I walk it daily, drive a in and out a couple times a week, and ride a Citibike every once in awhile, so I feel I've been able to see things from a few different perspectives). What, exactly, is the issue? Yes, sometimes it's people doing crazy things like running reds. Those stick out in the mind though honestly when I try to think about how often I see that, it's definitely more than in most cities but still fairly rare.

What seems to create the senes of hazard for me as a pedestrian, sometimes-cyclist, and driver are:

• the tight streets with poor delineation between "zones" of parking, walking, driving; the amount of constant double-parking on streets that have no room for them (Central, Palisade, Newark, etc.) which requires streams of drivers to snake around quickly;

• poor and inconsistent lighting which is combined with the modern trend of inappropriately bright headlights make for totally shit visibility at night;

• intersections that seem built for a lot less traffic than they usually have (the turn from New York Ave onto Ravine, for example, is ridiculous: it is nearly blind for the turner, competing against three different streams of traffic);

• crossings that seem inherently anti-pedestrian (trying to cross from the 100 steps area into Hoboken, for example, is almost entirely done by people sprinting across the street at a different place than the actual crosswalk, because the visibility at the crosswalk is total shit and the traffic lights are hard to see and will sometimes not give a "walk" signal for several cycles);

• unprotected left turns (a huge issue in Hoboken, too) that cause both big back-ups and drivers trying to "sprint" across between gaps in traffic or on the yellows;

• pedestrian crossings that are inherently in competition with cars (people are trying to turn left into you, etc., and they have a small window with which to do it);

• overly-narrow intersections that require very careful navigation and have too much going on (Central and Manhattan, Central and Franklin jump out to me — you have to just sort of hold your breath and lurch through them if you are trying to turn);

• a general shittiness of the quality of the pavement which lends to a sense of it being a no-man's land (too many asphalt patches, too many repair areas, too many painted lines never used — I get that resurfacing is expensive and street maintenance is never-ending, but pretty much all of the street surfaces look like garbage, and that adds to a sense of disorder);

...and probably more. Anyway, the above is what I notice most of all. Every once in awhile you see someone do something totally absurd with impunity (I saw someone drive around someone else who was stopped at a red light in order to run the red — who does this?), to be sure. But I suspect that's as much of a symptom of everything else (and lack of any apparent interest in traffic enforcement by JCPD).

(Re: JCPD, I openly laughed at the Fullop "look how great everything has been in 2022" flier that came last week, when it bragged that JCPD was the largest it has ever been or whatever. I thought, you'd think this massive, expensive police force could clear the double parking at the very least.)

I moved here a year ago and I can’t even begin to say how bad the driving is. It’s literally the first thing I noticed when walking around. Running red lights is so common it seems and even when you have the right of way walking (green light) people turning left absolutely don’t give af. I got into a screaming match because some lady almost hit me making a left turn on Newark. Apparently this is super common according to all my friends who have been living here. Sad.

Agreed. Have lived in many cities and neighborhoods. Jersey City feels very unsafe as a pedestrian — and also for cycling and driving. I almost wonder if every single person on this thread emailed the mayor this week at sfulop@jcnj.org along with Mike Manzella at mmanzella@jcnj.org and lit a fire under their assess calling on them to step up traffic calming efforts and traffic enforcement, if it would make some difference. Couldn’t hurt, right?

Why do you often have to cross tracks in front of the conductor? 🤔

It’s a pretty awful place to be all three. Pedestrian, cyclist and driver

Stay strapped on Jersey streets, they might come at you from anywhere

You should certainly be aware, cautious and alert, but if you find yourself feeling continuously unsafe you may be suffering from generalized anxiety and should look into ways to alleviate that.

Robin.