Municipal Forum

8:30 – 9:00 – Breakfast and Networking
9:00 – 9:20 – Welcome and Introductions

Speaker: Commissioner Stephen Shaw, Deputy Director, Morris County Board of County Commissioners

Speaker: Dan Callas, President, Avenues in Motion

9:20 – 10:00 – Panel 1: Charting the Course: A regional perspective on highway safety

What targets have been set at the state and regional level, and what are the next steps? In this session, you’ll learn about successful policy advancements in New Jersey and what they mean for local road safety.

Speaker: Robert Gaydosh, Deputy Director at the New Jersey Division of Highway Traffic Safety

Speaker: Paul Mickiewicz, Program Manager at the New Jersey Bike & Walk Coalition

Speaker: Jeff Perlman, Senior Director, Planning, at the North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority

10:10 – 11:00 – Breakout Activity: Leveraging our networks to identify key partners in influence

Facilitator: Kristen Tomasicchio, Environmental Education Manager, Avenues in Motion

11:10 – 11:50 – Panel 2: But What Can We Do?: Local programs and initiatives that are making a difference

How do we turn policy and goals into action? Hear about county and municipal projects that are engaging the community and working to make our roads safer from design, operational, and behavioral aspects.

Speaker: Ryan Conklin, PP, AICP, GISP, Assistant Director of Planning, Warren County Planning Department

Speaker: Patrolman William Kloos, Piscataway Police Department, Traffic Safety Division

11:45 – Closing Remarks

Ryan Conklin

Mr. Conklin serves as the Assistant Director of the Warren County Planning Department, bringing over 20 years of expertise in community planning, engineering, zoning, permitting, environmental and land development, transportation planning, and natural resource management. A Licensed Professional Planner in the State of New Jersey and an AICP Certified Planner through the American Institute of Certified Planners, he is a recognized leader and strategist in the field. Utilizing an expertise in GIS, Mr. Conklin leverages his extensive experience to develop and implement plans that enhance quality of life, promote economic sustainability, and uphold environmental stewardship. His commitment to forward-thinking planning ensures balanced and sustainable growth for the communities he serves.

Robert Gaydosh

The mission of the New Jersey Division of Highway Traffic Safety is the safe passage of all roadway users in New Jersey as we move towards zero fatalities. To achieve its mission, the Division promotes statewide traffic safety programs through education, engineering and enforcement activities, with a goal of reducing crashes, injuries, and fatalities on our roads. The Division administers and coordinates funding for State and local grant projects and carries out statewide public awareness and traffic safety enforcement campaigns.

Bob has been with the New Jersey Division of Highway Traffic Safety for 28 years, joining the agency in September 1997. In his current role, he serves as Deputy Director of the agency, managing the Division’s programmatic and fiscal activities.

Each year the Division receives approximately $25-million in federal funding from NHTSA, the National Highway Traffic safety Administration, to carry out the highway safety program in New Jersey.

Prior to managing the office, Bob was a Regional Program Supervisor for the Division, responsible for the agencies grant funded programs in the Northern Region of the state: Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Morris, Passaic, Sussex and Warren counties.

Patrolman William Kloos

Officer Bill Kloos is assigned to the Piscataway Police Department Traffic Safety Division. Officer Kloos is currently in his eighth year of service with Piscataway Township and his fifth year in the Traffic Safety Division. Officer Kloos is a certified drug recognition expert, crash reconstructionist, and radar instructor. He holds a NJ Traffic Safety specialist level 1 designation and is currently a level 2 candidate. Three years ago, Officer Kloos developed a comprehensive speed enforcement campaign in his township called Piscataway Promotes Safe Streets. This campaign is in its third year and data has proved the effectiveness of such efforts are making the local residential roads safer. Officer Kloos is involved in all stages of administering this grant funded project and over the last three years he has coordinated and received over $270,000 in grant funding for traffic safety projects in Piscataway Township.

Paul Mickiewicz

Paul’s preferred method for getting around town is by bike. A lifelong bike adventurer, year-round bike commuter and local rider, every ride feels like a simple statement of advocacy for equitable transportation!

Paul’s formal bike advocacy life started in 2007 when he joined the leadership team of Bike Montclair. He started the Bike Education program in 2008 focused on the “Learn to Ride” program, teaching people of all ages how to balance and pedal a bike. After becoming a certified instructor in 2010, the program expanded to include a variety of “Skill Building” and “Street Savvy” Cycling classes. Together with his wife, (also a certified cycling instructor), they have taught hundreds of classes around the state.

Following his career with the YMCA building healthy communities, Paul joined the New Jersey Bike Walk Coalition as Program Manager in 2021 to support, inspire and educate fellow safe streets advocates working to build bike and walk friendly communities around the state.

As an official member of both the Montclair Township Vision Zero Task Force and the Verona Township Neighborhood Traffic & Safety Committee, both experiences help to inform his role with the NJBWC.

An enthusiastic proponent for safe streets for all, Paul believes creating bike and walk friendly communities is a critical part of the solution to addressing many of the challenges our communities are facing.

Jeffrey Perlman, AICP, PP, LEED-AP

Jeffery Perlman currently serves as the Senior Director of Planning at the North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority (NJTPA) and has held various positions over his fifteen years with the agency. He is responsible for overseeing and integrating metropolitan transportation planning initiatives for the North Jersey region, including long-range planning, safety, environmental, and freight. Previously, Jeffrey has worked as a planning consultant for a number of New Jersey municipalities, where he conducted a variety of planning studies including master plans, redevelopment studies, and affordable housing plans. Jeffrey holds a Master’s Degree in City and Regional Planning from Rutgers University, and a Master’s Degree in Molecular Biology from the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey. Jeffrey is a licensed planner in the State of New Jersey and certified with the American Institute of Certified Planners at the American Planning Association.

Panel 1: Charting the Course: A Regional Perspective on Highway Safety

NJ Division of Highway Traffic Safety – Robert Gaydosh

New Jersey Bike & Walk Coalition – Paul Mickiewicz

North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority – Jeffrey Perlman

Panel 2: But What Can We Do?: Local Programs and Initiatives That Are Making a Difference

Warren County Planning – Ryan Conklin

Piscataway Safe Streets – Officer Bill Kloos

Websites

Safe System Approach (USDOT)
NJ Division of Highway Traffic Safety
North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority
Local Safety Action Plans (NJTPA)
NJ State Police Fatal Crash Statistics
New Jersey Bike & Walk Coalition

Boxcar was founded in 2017 and headquartered in Chatham, NJ and focuses on enhancing the suburban commuter experience. Boxcar provides two main services that enhance municipal vitality:

Boxcar’s commuter parking offering increases a town’s available commuter parking at zero cost to the municipality. For towns with insufficient commuter parking, Boxcar partners with private property owners (primarily churches), within walking distance of suburban train stations. We make the church’s unused parking available to commuters on weekdays. In 2018 the town of New Canaan, CT cancelled a $12M bond for a new parking garage as a result of Boxcar finding over 100 private parking spaces for their commuters.

Boxcar’s private commuter bus service is completely free to the towns we serve. We offer commuters who drive to Manhattan a relaxing alternative that gets them close to their office. Boxcar’s bus service currently serves 23 NJ suburbs, including many in Morris County. New York City’s congestion pricing, beginning in June, will increase the cost to drive by $15 per day, or $2,500+ per year for the daily commuter. In anticipation of this, Boxcar is exploring expansion in more Morris County towns whose commuters will be looking for alternatives to their current car-centered commute.

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