NJ Transit Will Advance Seven Programs Including Bus Garage Electrification In North Jersey, Solar Bus Shelters, Electric Mini-Buses, Microtransit Shuttles and Bike Sheds with CRRSAA Funds

Submitted by TrafficSNAFU t3_yqs403 in jerseycity

NJ Transit and NJTPA will advance several projects after being awarded $43 million in COVID funding.

Applicable highlights for Newark and the surrounding area.

  1. NewBus Hudson Study
  2. Microtransit shuttle project - Possible locations listed include EWR and Port Newark.
  3. Bike sheds - Installation of bike sheds at various rail and bus hubs.

There are other projects included like new electric minibuses, electrification of the Hilton Bus Garage, and a Microtransit Shuttle Bus project. The three highlights I selected above I thought were most applicable to Jersey City.

20

Comments

You must log in or register to comment.

Blecher_onthe_Hudson t1_ivq1owo wrote

I'm going to taking a page from the 'LUXURY HOUSING!' guy and banging my BRT drum in every applicable thread.

Make Ocean from the Bayonne line up to Summit, JSQ PATH and all the way to 495 (and then to 42nd St PA) a Bus Rapid Transit route. No cars, just buses with loading platforms and stops every 1/2 mile like a subway or Light Rail. Signal priority so they zoom through the lights. It would be just like having a Subway line the length of the city and it would transform JC!

All the whining about needing parking for cars will be undercut by a massive improvement in the local transit and connections to the city and PATH at a relatively cheap cost compared to any other option. Yes there's current bus lines, but they are slow and often undependable especially during the heavy traffic hours they're needed most. This would be more like a Light rail with no tracks to lay. And make them electric or hydrogen powered.

Here's the route: https://imgur.com/qlDOTO1

23

FloatingWeight t1_ivtt3zx wrote

I hate how stigmatized buses are in the US, at least around here it’s not so bad

3

Blecher_onthe_Hudson t1_ivtv2dg wrote

Yes, most US cities have such poor Transit that Transit is only for the poor, and gains that stigma.

1

pixel_of_moral_decay t1_ivqlsk9 wrote

That’s pretty reasonable, but that wouldn’t be disruptive enough for drivers, so mass transit advocates will be against it, and it’s too efficient so drivers will be against it.

Nobody in politics like things that are clear wins. Gotta make sure the other side feels their loss.

Just a reality of modern day politics.

−5

kulgan t1_ivrr125 wrote

Find me one transit or even bike advocate who would oppose this.

6

throw495887 t1_ivscldh wrote

In case anyone is excited about this bus study, they did one in Newark a while ago. It’s been over a year since they released the plan and there have been no updates whatsoever. At least the consultants got their paychecks

4

TrafficSNAFU OP t1_ivtifnh wrote

Gloucester bus study is going along at a steady pace.

2

throw495887 t1_ivuztkc wrote

Are they gonna come up with all the recommendations just to never do them like newark?

2

TrafficSNAFU OP t1_ivv0yj5 wrote

From the hearsay I've heard apparently the changes NJ Transit riders wanted didn't necessarily go like peanut butter and jelly with the constraints NJ Transit placed on the project. So NJ Transit was asked to rework some things on their end, but as far I'm aware NJ Transit wants to see it through. Part of the reason for a possible Microtransit service around EWR and Port Newark is to more efficiently route bus, which was in line with the plan's recommendations.

2

DirectorBeneficial48 t1_ivroofu wrote

Good - bus improvements are a huge step towards making a good mass transit system.

3

jgweiss t1_ivrv4tp wrote

especially when they refuse to build any new rail regionally, and are hamstrung from building toward/into nyc for (reasonable) fear of 10 million middle men from one million agencies sticking their hands in the states pockets.

3

TrafficSNAFU OP t1_ivtioxt wrote

I don't think its case of refusing, I think its more a case of a lack of money stacked against a ton of other capital projects.

2

NoGoodNamesAvailable t1_ivtkxbf wrote

There's over 4 billion for the turnpike widening. Could build some kind of rail with that

3

TrafficSNAFU OP t1_ivtm69v wrote

That's Turnpike's money, not NJ Transit's money. It could be NJ Transit money but the way Trenton funds NJ Transit is inadequate. No seperate, dedicated operating budgets and the capital budget is a hand to mouth affair with funds pulled from all over the state budget.

2

driftingwood2018 t1_ivrncfh wrote

Throw everything at the wall and see what sticks strategy. Lovely!

2

TrafficSNAFU OP t1_ivrnkyl wrote

Not really. All of these are things are projects NJ Transit has been working on already. None of these things are really out there.

4

Positive_Debate7048 t1_ivqxxjx wrote

Something has to be done about the pollution from buses. Whenever a bus drives by there is so much stench of fuel. I don’t know how NJ is so behind on this despite having one of the most robust bus networks

1

TrafficSNAFU OP t1_ivqy6rs wrote

Lack of money is the simple answer. Trenton doesn't give NJ Transit a sufficient operating budget, let alone a capital budget.

6