Over the past year, we've been guiding the City of Hoboken, NJ towards providing sufficient alternative modes of transportation such that owning a car for a large number of residents becomes more than unattractive, it's simply not necessary. The goal is not to tell residents that they can't own a car, but to make life without a car so easy that every single family in Hoboken can freely choose whether owning a car is what they want to spend their money on. For those who decide that a daily commute by car is most practical, my job is to make it possible to find a parking space and travel in and out of town without too much friction. However, for the overwhelming majority of Hobokenites who commute daily on foot, bicycle, or via transit, life without a car should be as
Over the past year, we've been guiding the City of Hoboken, NJ towards providing sufficient alternative modes of transportation such that owning a car for a large number of residents becomes more than unattractive, it's simply not necessary. The goal is not to tell residents that they can't own a car, but to make life without a car so easy that every single family in Hoboken can freely choose whether owning a car is what they want to spend their money on. For those who decide that a daily commute by car is most practical, my job is to make it possible to find a parking space and travel in and out of town without too much friction. However, for the overwhelming majority of Hobokenites who commute daily on foot, bicycle, or via transit, life without a car should be as easy as handing in your permit.
Hoboken's "Surrender Your Permit" Program Makes Car Ownership an Option
How do we do this? It's a matter of making all the other ways of getting around as attractive as possible, and constantly working to improve and perfect the attractiveness of these alternative modes. Pedestrian safety, bicycle friendliness, city-wide shuttle bus coverage, strong modal integration, and of course, our coveted "Corner Cars" on-street car-sharing program.
Yesterday, we were confident enough in the past year's efforts improving upon all these other modes that we announced our umbrella program to put car-free living into perspective. It's called "Surrender Your Permit", and the idea is to offer a package of transportation-themed incentives as "rewards" to residents who take the plunge into a car-free life. In Hoboken, surrendering a parking permit is the indirect way of saying "surrender your car". This is an aggressive challenge that allows all Residents to make the introspective evaluation of whether car ownership is really a necessity for their life in Hoboken. It's taking the auto-free conversation to the streets; a mailer that reaches every Resident parking permit-holder's mailbox today takes it to their front door.
From yesterday's announcement, the benefits of the Surrender Your Permit program include:
- Corner Cars $100 driving credit (the first 40 resident to participate will receive $140) plus two years free membership from Hertz Connect: $240/$200 value
- Free Specialized commuter bike helmet (courtesy of Flo On Wheels, 1222 Washington St): $50 value
- Fleet Feet eco-friendly shopping bag, free pair of technical running socks, free timex pedometer to track distance walked/run, steps taken, calories burned & $20 coupon for a pair of shoes (courtesy of Fleet Feet Sports, 604 Washington St): $50 value
- Free 6-month Unlimited Hop shuttle pass: $180 value
- Premium membership discounts provided by Enterprise and Hertz rental car agencies
- Free bike commuter training session, riding safety lights, and reflective straps (courtesy of Hudson County TMA)
- Free Temporary parking permit placard with special endorsement stamp (allows parking on resident side) for rental vehicles
- Free SmartLink card wallet and other PATH gifts (courtesy of Port Authority of NY and NJ)
- "The Hop" community shuttle bus map and schedules
- Hoboken bike lane and bike rack locations map
Note: A special mention of sincere gratitude is due all the outside agencies and private businesses who have generously participated in this program to make Hoboken a more enjoyable, safer, better city; thank you!

Trump Administration Could Effectively End Housing Voucher Program
Federal officials are eyeing major cuts to the Section 8 program that helps millions of low-income households pay rent.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

Ken Jennings Launches Transit Web Series
The Jeopardy champ wants you to ride public transit.

Crime Continues to Drop on Philly, San Francisco Transit Systems
SEPTA and BART both saw significant declines in violent crime in the first quarter of 2025.

How South LA Green Spaces Power Community Health and Hope
Green spaces like South L.A. Wetlands Park are helping South Los Angeles residents promote healthy lifestyles, build community, and advocate for improvements that reflect local needs in historically underserved neighborhoods.

Sacramento Plans ‘Quick-Build’ Road Safety Projects
The city wants to accelerate small-scale safety improvements that use low-cost equipment to make an impact at dangerous intersections.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
Ada County Highway District
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions
Salt Lake City
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service
