For four months last fall, my lifestyle changed dramatically when my husband and I lived car-free. As life-long suburbanites, we have always driven a lot to get around. I was the mom-in-the-minivan, and am now the professional-in-a-Prius. But when we took an overdue sabbatical, we lived near universities in three developed countries — England, Germany, and Japan — where everything we needed was within easy reach by foot, bike, bus, or train. This experience convinced me that New Jersey can and should pull out the stops to deliver more of these options for all of its people — young and old, commuters and job-seekers, the affluent, and those who cannot afford a car.

Secret To Success: What Cambridge, Stuttgart and Tokyo Do Right 

These three places — small, medium, and giant — all deliberately prioritize the development patterns and transportation systems that deliver great options for getting around. The three places we visited have:

• Compact development and a mix of uses so every day trips — to work, school, shopping, the park — are short.
• Lots of green space in public parks, rather than in private yards.
• Streets designed for all users, with ample sidewalks, all kinds of bike lanes and paths, benches, signage, traffic signals, etc.
• A culture of “Sharing the Road” rather than cars being “King of the Road.”
• Less car parking, mostly underground or in garages. Plenty of bike parking.