The Linden Police Department has received a $200,000 Grant from the New Jersey Department of Transportation to fund the Safe Routes to School Program. This grant helps to provide education for our residents and will help implement programs that make walking and bicycling around our community and to and from our schools fun, easy, and safe for students and families alike.
Lt. Michael Babulski, Head of the Linden Traffic Division, worked tirelessly to be successful in being awarded this grant for the City of Linden. He had the full support of the Linden Police Department, and Mayor Armstead, who said, “I want to thank Lt. Babulski for his hard work in getting this grant, along with those who helped. Given this grant is highly competitive and out of 168 entries, we here in Linden were 1 of the 8 awarded, we could not be more proud and thankful. This can only make Linden a better and safer place to live for our residents and those that visit our great city.”
Lt. Babulski said, “This was a two year process. I can’t thank the Linden Board of Education, especially Principals, Atiya Perkins and Dona Preston enough for their assistance. They opened their doors to the Linden Police Department and provided us with anything we asked to help make this grant possible. Program Coordinator, Meeta Patel and Assistant Coordinator, Chris Rodriguez, of Meadowlink a transportation management association, along with Janna Chernetz, Esq., Senior New Jersey Policy Analyst for Tri-State Transportation Campaign spent countless hours working with the Linden Police Department and at Linden’s Schools #1 and #6 spreading the word for safe walking and biking to school. They were amazing!”
Through this initiative the Safe Routes to School will afford the Linden community funding for traffic and pedestrian improvements from Blancke Street to Gessner Street along the Wood Avenue corridor. This grant will work in conjunction with Linden’s Transit Village Designation area which is from Blancke Street to Morris Avenue. This now links the two areas together from School # 1 to School #6. The Safe Routes to School Program will help build a safer Linden and will improve the quality of life for all residents in this area of our community.
