Active Transport

Walking and biking are two great ways to get around town while minimizing your emissions as much as possible. Montclair benefits from a dense street grid and abundant sidewalks, putting shopping and dining within walking distance for many in our township. Still, car crashes involving pedestrians and cyclists are far too common in Montclair, which prevents people from taking advantage of these low-carbon alternatives.

Luckily, help is on the way. In December 2020, the Montclair Planning Board voted to approve the addition of the SAFE (Streets Are for Everyone) Complete Streets Plan into the township’s Master Plan. Promoted by Bike&Walk Montclair, a great advocacy group for cyclists and pedestrians in town, this document provides recommendations for active transportation corridors around Montclair. It also suggests street designs for increasing bike and pedestrian safety in these areas, such as with bike lanes and improved crosswalks.

Going forward, planners will consult the SAFE plan when reconstructing streets around the township. Its recommendations will make our roads safer and open up active transportation as an option for more people. Every trip that you choose to walk or bike, rather than drive, helps to decrease our greenhouse gas emissions and to save the planet from climate change.