Hoboken Mayoral Runoff: Where the Candidates Stand on Safe Streets

By Kevin Bing | November 21, 2025

Streets PAC NJ provided surveys to both candidates in Hoboken’s mayoral runoff election, asking them to share their specific plans for creating safer, more sustainable, and equitable streets in the city. Below are the candidates’ responses to our survey.

Emily Jabbour

1. What is your position on Hoboken’s current Vision Zero program? If elected, what will you do the same or differently as past administrations? 100-300 words.

I’m proud to have been a founding member of the Vision Zero task force and am proud of the work done through this initiative to make Hoboken safe. The fact that Hoboken has gone more than eight years without a single traffic fatality is not an accident, it happened because we’ve been intentional about redesigning our streets, slowing down traffic, and prioritizing pedestrian safety.

I believe the next phase of Vision Zero has to go beyond crash statistics. We need to be looking at near-miss data to make sure those close calls don’t end in tragedy. By gathering that data and listening to residents who experience our streets every day, we can be even more proactive in addressing safety concerns before someone gets hurt.

By using smarter enforcement tools and working with our businesses and neighbors we can make progress on curbing dangerous behaviors such as illegal double-parking, blocking crosswalks, and running stop signs. I believe safe streets shouldn’t depend on your zip code or whether you drive, walk, or ride a bike. Every resident deserves to feel safe crossing the street, sending their kids to school, or running errands in their neighborhood. Hoboken has proven that with the right leadership, data-driven decision making, and community engagement, zero fatalities is possible. The challenge now is to keep pushing forward to keep Vision Zero not just a policy, but a lasting part of how we design and think about our city.

2. There is no such thing as free parking. Street parking disadvantages residents without access to a motor vehicle and increases congestion for those who do. Illegal parking can block sightlines, impede the flow of traffic (including buses), and put vulnerable road users at risk. Illegal parking in bike lanes is a source of danger and frustration for people making essential trips by bicycle. What is your position with regard to parking enforcement? Do you support or oppose the CLEAR program (automated parking enforcement) on Washington Street? Why or why not? 100-300 words.

My number one priority is public safety. I support the use of tools that make all of our enforcement officers, whether it be our police or parking utility personnel, more efficient in their mission to keep us safe. The CLEAR program does just that: it is camera assisted enforcement, which enables parking utility staff to identify far more instances of violations today than when they relied solely on officers on the street. This has led to a dramatic reduction in bike lane, loading zone, and bus stop violations from cars that are illegally double parked. The biggest challenge with the CLEAR program has been the lack of education and communication between the city and stakeholders (both residents and businesses alike) as to how it would work. Residents were not notified that short drop offs (e.g., under 3 minutes) would be okay, that commercial vehicles would be exempt, and that we would continue to engage with neighbors to facilitate deliveries. As Mayor I would look to continue to use these types of programs, but I’m also clear that enforcement must be paired with fairness—businesses and residents must have a voice, commercial vehicles must have efficient access, and the flow of our city needs to support commerce as well as safety. If we keep our curb zones efficient, our bike lanes open, and our sidewalks safe, we reinforce that Hoboken is for everyone.

3. Currently, most Hoboken residents walk, bike, or take transit for most trips, yet at least 80% of Hoboken’s valuable curbside space is used for car storage. How would you regulate the use of the curbside to serve the varied needs of the community? 100-300 words.

The curb is one of the most valuable pieces of real estate in Hoboken and it has to work for everyone. Whether you’re a resident parking your car, a parent dropping off your child, a delivery driver unloading goods, or a cyclist using the bike lane, the curbside is where all those interests meet.

My goal is to make curbside management smarter, safer, and fairer. That means we have to stop treating the curb as a one-size-fits-all space and start managing it dynamically by time of day, by location, and by actual community need. I support expanding tools like digital permits, flexible loading zones, and data-driven enforcement so that curb space serves the greatest number of people safely and efficiently. For businesses, that means reliable short-term loading and delivery access so goods can move quickly. For residents, it means better clarity around parking rules and improved turnover. For pedestrians, cyclists, and families, it means protected crossings and bike lanes that aren’t blocked or dangerous.

I also believe in engagement before enforcement. The people who use these spaces every day — our residents, small businesses, delivery workers — know what works and what doesn’t. I have always been committed to community engagement so we can continue refining our system with real community feedback.

4. More than half of Hoboken residents rely on public transit. Describe your record in advocating for transit riders in Hoboken. What do you believe are Hoboken’s three most pressing transit issues? 100-300 words.

For many years I used public transportation regularly to commute into Manhattan during my tenure working for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services – so I know all too well how great public transportation can be when it works well and how frustrating it can be when it does not. During my time on the City Council, I have fought to expand and promote HOP service - and supported making it free. I also advocated for bringing the Citbike program to Hoboken after Hudson Bike Share, and most recently have actively supported the advocacy efforts of Hudson County Safe Streets to demand better PATH services.

Building on these efforts I would focus on the following three most pressing transit issues: 1) better/more reliable PATH service (improved service nights and weekends, reduced wait times during off-peak hours, and coordination of infrastructure projects); 2) expanding and simplifying the HOP service (including weekend service); and 3) lobby NJ Transit to expand 126 bus service with an additional route on the western side of town. In terms of a long-term goal, I would also include the need to promote the expansion of light rail service by adding a stop at 15th Street uptown.

5. E-bikes are a transformative mode of transportation that largely reduces car trips, which helps to improve air quality and reduce congestion. What strategies would you implement to accommodate people who choose to travel by e-bike while simultaneously ensuring that sidewalks remain protected pedestrian spaces? 100-300 words.

As more people transition to alternate modes of transportation including e-bikes and scooters, we need to make sure our infrastructure helps promote the behavior we want – namely to keep these riders safely on the street and off our sidewalks. As such I would work to ensure we prioritize the completion of the Green Circuit and seek to add protected bike lanes where feasible.

With respect to the challenge of e-delivery riders not complying with our laws, I will first work with food delivery apps and require they use geofencing technology to identify and penalize drivers who repeatedly endanger others by riding on the sidewalk or against traffic. Finally, I would continue to support community policing efforts to ensure increased visibility of police officers and code enforcement officers throughout Washington Street and in the commercial district.

Finally, we should offer more public storage options to that riders can feel confident that their bicycle and e-bikes are safe while using public transit – I would prioritize bringing a program like Oonee Pod to Hoboken Terminal.

Dr. Michael Russo

1. What is your position on Hoboken’s current Vision Zero program? If elected, what will you do the same or differently as past administrations? 100-300 words.

I fully support the core spirit of Vision Zero in Hoboken: the idea that no traffic death is acceptable and that we must align street design, enforcement, and community engagement to reduce serious injuries. As Mayor I’d keep the policies around safe crossings, expand protected bike lanes (on Willow Street, for example), and ideally build more speed humps as well, but frankly I would also challenge some of the existing data. Did you know the Kimley-Horne “Curb Reimagined” study that the City paid for didn’t actually use the word “parking” once? It speaks to how sometimes the questions can be loaded, and to me this indicates that some in the current administration and their supporters on the City Council may view this all as a way to skyrocket curbside parking fees as the prime directive, instead of actually focusing on the safety of our neighbors.

To me, the future of Vision Zero leans more on honest resident feedback. As I stated to Bike Hoboken, “where neighbors say ‘we think there should be a speed hump here because people zoom down this street and a crash is bound to happen,’ we shouldn’t be dismissive of that.” I’d also advocate for a more transparent injury dashboard so residents, including businesses on key corridors, can see what’s happening, what’s improving, and where we still have risk. Safety is always my top priority, but with accountability, community input, and actual follow-through.

2. There is no such thing as free parking. Street parking disadvantages residents without access to a motor vehicle and increases congestion for those who do. Illegal parking can block sightlines, impede the flow of traffic (including buses), and put vulnerable road users at risk. Illegal parking in bike lanes is a source of danger and frustration for people making essential trips by bicycle. What is your position with regard to parking enforcement? Do you support or oppose the CLEAR program (automated parking enforcement) on Washington Street? Why or why not? 100-300 words.

On parking enforcement: I believe that curbside space is valuable, and its misuse fits into my larger argument that this city is not great at enforcing the laws currently on the books.

The thing is that we can do this perfectly well with humans. I oppose the CLEAR cameras for the same reason that the State of New Jersey opposes red-light cameras: automated enforcement is ripe for error and often feels like a “gotcha” for residents and small businesses. In fact, I’m still not convinced that the City has the legal mechanism to do it in the first place (we’re currently being sued over it).

The rollout of the CLEAR cameras was a disaster. Businesses were up in arms saying their vendors were refusing to make deliveries for fear of a ticket. Residents said that the time allotted was not sufficient to drop their elderly parents off and help them into their wheelchairs. My opponent in this mayoral race, Emily Jabbour, approved this rollout as she was actively taking campaign money from the company behind these cameras, Automotus. Jabbour then refused to support a pause on the rollout until we could get sufficient public input. In the past, Jabbour has also supported parking fees being increased dynamically by opaque algorithms without any public hearings. These votes undermine public trust and constitute yet another unnecessary tax on residents at a time when the cost of living has skyrocketed.

3. Currently, most Hoboken residents walk, bike, or take transit for most trips, yet at least 80% of Hoboken’s valuable curbside space is used for car storage. How would you regulate the use of the curbside to serve the varied needs of the community? 100-300 words.

It’s no secret that parking in Hoboken is a disaster. My parking and transportation and housing solutions, which have now been out for over a year, put an emphasis on building new parking on the periphery of Hoboken and fighting for all new residential developments to have sufficient parking for their residents, whether deeded or included in the rent. Doing this will have multiple positive, synergistic effects: it will spread out the flow of traffic, provide incentives for visitors and residents alike to patronize small businesses away from our downtown, and reduce reliance on curbside parking. As we go through with this plan, I aim to convert significantly more curbside spaces to loading zones and 15/30 minute pickup spots—which will increase turnover, bring more disposable income onto Washington Street, help those empty storefronts become filled with thriving new mom and pop shops, and foster a more orderly, vibrant environment.

I think as opposed to Jersey City, Hoboken’s size mean we really have to think about this in a completely holistic way, not in terms of zones—and I think in our case, if we want to put “people over cars,” as it were, we have to be respectful of everyone’s chosen mode of transportation while facilitating the smooth flow of traffic throughout Hoboken and helping everyone go where they need to in their own chosen way.

4. More than half of Hoboken residents rely on public transit. Describe your record in advocating for transit riders in Hoboken. What do you believe are Hoboken’s three most pressing transit issues? 100-300 words.

As someone born, raised, and now raising my family in Hoboken, I’ve consistently advocated for better microtransit and connectivity. For example, in my transportation solutions I lay out my vision for the next iteration of The Hop, Hoboken’s shuttle service. Right now, they’re clunky buses. What the Hop should be is a fleet of electric vehicles with new routes (including a senior route and medical-access route), rideshare capability, and more. Hoboken also needs a strong negotiator to get things done: when the City has paid for upgrades NJTransit should be paying for, I’ve stood up and made that known, and I believe I possess the positive working relationships necessary to finally move the 15th Street Light Rail station along.

I’ve been very public about my three biggest transit priorities:

5. E-bikes are a transformative mode of transportation that largely reduces car trips, which helps to improve air quality and reduce congestion. What strategies would you implement to accommodate people who choose to travel by e-bike while simultaneously ensuring that sidewalks remain protected pedestrian spaces? 100-300 words.

I think e-bikes are a genius invention that’s great for the environment, and I encourage our residents to use UL-certified e-bikes as a safe mode of transportation as much as possible! However, if we don’t get ahead of some of the issues, I fear that the general public will become more averse to their adoption; our government has been slow to regulate and we are already seeing problems, both at the state and local levels. In Hoboken, delivery drivers are running red lights and riding on sidewalks, nearly hitting young mothers and their strollers. This is of course not an inherent problem with e-bikes, but rather with how they are operated.

I proudly co-sponsored our “Tests and Vests” law that registers and educates these drivers, but the current administration botched the rollout and this law has largely gone unenforced. My opponent has claimed this is a problem with the law itself, but when you only purchase a handful of vests and it takes a year and a half to have one photo op impounding bikes from repeat offenders, I would strongly disagree with that assertion. As the administration has marginally begun to increase enforcement over time, the public has responded positively.

Like other safety and quality of life issues in Hoboken, this does ultimately come down to enforcement—and I think right now, a few people clearly breaking the law are giving e-bikes in general an undeserved bad name. Under my administration, we will finally invest in the community policing (AKA “beat cops”) that our neighbors deserve, fostering better relationships and a stronger environment of inclusive, feedback-powered public safety. I’ve also committed to expanding protected bike lanes, and one of the first places I’d explore is Newark Street, so that bike riders can get from Jersey City all the way to our waterfront without being exposed to traffic.