As Montclair grapples with traffic congestion, safety concerns, and a push toward more walkable and bikeable streets, the town has appointed Laura Torchio as its first Complete Streets Director. She began the role on Monday, June 23, 2025.
Torchio is a nationally recognized urban planner with deep expertise in active transportation, healthy communities, and inclusive placemaking. She is also a longtime Montclair resident and has spent her career helping towns—from West Orange to Clayton—design safer, more vibrant streets through creative coalition-building and thoughtful civic engagement. Now, she’s in a position to make improvements in Montclair.
We spoke to Torchio in her first interview since stepping into the new role about the urgency of her appointment, immediate priorities, and what it will take to make Montclair’s streets not just safer, but smarter, calmer, and more connected.
This interview has been edited for clarity and concision.
TMP: You’ve lived in Montclair for 30 years. How has traffic evolved here?
LT: There’s more development now than there was in 1995, and the Midtown Direct connection changed how people commute. But traffic? That depends on how you define it. From a planner’s perspective, we shouldn’t only look at car congestion. Pedestrian traffic, biking, shuttles, and transit all matter. And while some see traffic as a nuisance, businesses might view it as foot traffic and an opportunity.
TMP: Many residents point to speeding as a top concern. What’s your take?
LT: Even 30 years ago, I advocated for better biking and walking infrastructure because I felt there was an unreasonable amount of car traffic given our town’s density. Montclair is compact. It supports short trips and multiple modes of transport. We need to focus more on making our town walkable, livable, and safe, not just on moving cars faster.
TMP: What does your role as Complete Streets Director entail?
LT: The idea behind Complete Streets is that roads should be designed for everyone—pedestrians, cyclists, transit users, and cars—depending on the context. Historically, American streets have been designed for cars. We’re shifting that. We want to measure how streets impact stress, safety, and accessibility—not just how many cars can fly through an intersection.
This includes tracking crash severity, pedestrian injuries, and creating economic benefits from slower, safer streets. A car driving 40 mph striking a pedestrian is likely to kill them. At 25 mph, survival rates are much higher.
TMP: Why was there urgency in creating this role now?
LT: Because people are dying on our roads. Montclair adopted its first Complete Streets policy in 2009, but it was weak and full of loopholes. Two years ago, the council created the Vision Zero Task Force, which I chaired. We updated the policy to follow state best practices. When the new council came in, they wanted action. So it wasn’t really fast—it was a long time coming.
TMP: Why don’t we have speed cameras on our roads?
LT: New Jersey doesn’t currently allow them. I need to brush up on the exact reasons, but it’s a state-level policy.
People are dying on our roads.
Laura Torchio, MOntclair COmplete Streets Director
Montclair adopted its first Complete Streets policy in 2009, but it was weak and full of loopholes. Two years ago, the council created the Vision Zero Task Force, which I chaired. We updated the policy to follow state best practices. When the new council came in, they wanted action.
TMP: What’s behind the delay in getting something as “simple” as a stop sign installed?
LT: It’s not simple. Engineers conduct traffic studies—analyzing volume, speed, crashes, parking, and bus routes—before installing anything. A stop sign, a cone, even a white line on the road counts as a traffic control device. We want to move away from a whack-a-mole approach and adopt a more systematic, data-informed process.
TMP: How will you track public feedback or community safety concerns?
LT: We need a way to map and track resident concerns, calls to the police, emails to the council—so they can be layered with hard data. I want to make that transparent. Ideally, residents could look up what projects are planned, where delineators are going next, and how we’re prioritizing changes.
TMP: Is Montclair using new tech to help with this?
LT: Yes, the township recently began using software that tracks real-time speed and volume data—possibly from cell phone signals. That’s something I want to incorporate more actively and make accessible to the public via an interactive map or hub.
TMP: Biking has gotten a boost from grassroots groups like the Bike Bus. Will we see more dedicated bike lanes or car-free streets?
LT: Absolutely. But we need to start with calming traffic. We’ll take a phased approach—goals in six-month increments. Not every street needs a bike lane, but streets with dangerous destinations do need protected lanes. We’re in a better position now thanks to tech, cargo bikes, e-bikes, and platforms like WhatsApp. The tide is shifting. Both the last and current councils are aligned on making streets safer.
TMP: How can residents give input?
LT: We’re creating an “alerts to action” system and potentially a Vision Zero ambassador program. Montclair also won a federal Safe Streets for All grant, and part of that involves community outreach and an action plan. I want input early and often—not just complaints but ideas and solutions.
TMP: What’s the best way for someone to report a dangerous intersection today?
LT: Call 911 if it’s an emergency. Otherwise, many residents call their council member or the police. But we’re working toward a centralized system—possibly a hotline or online platform—that aggregates all concerns into one database for action.
TMP: Can you give an example of a recent win?
LT: We installed reflective delineators at several flashing beacon crosswalks—like on Valley Road near Kings—to discourage drivers from illegally passing on the right. They were prioritized using a combination of proximity to schools, parks, transit, and crash history. We’re testing them before installing more permanent designs.
TMP: How do you ensure equity, especially for underserved neighborhoods like the Fourth Ward?
LT: The Safe Streets for All grant requires us to use equity data developed by NJTPA. It’s part of our project prioritization. If we’re choosing between two identical intersections, the one in a disadvantaged area might get the edge. And when we can’t fully redesign, we can still apply a Complete Streets lens to every project in the pipeline.
TMP: Are there jurisdictional challenges with county roads?
LT: Yes. Roads like Grove, Valley, and Upper Mountain are county-controlled, so they have final say. But our relationship with Essex County is strong. They’ve supported our push to lower speed limits to 25 mph and 20 mph in school zones. They’ve also worked with us on Vision Zero initiatives.
TMP: What’s your vision for Montclair’s streets in 2030?
LT: want people to have real choices. Parents and kids walking to school safely. Residents biking to run errands. Business owners seeing more foot traffic. A shuttle that loops around town. Not every road needs changing, but the goal is to connect people—safely and affordably—however they choose to get around.
TMP: What town inspires you as a model?
LT: Montclair. We will be the model.