‘Transit’ study becomes ‘bus’ study
May 9th 2007 03:27 pm
You may be aware that the North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority (NJTPA) has been conducting an I-78 Corridor Transit Study to see how transit can be improved along Route 78 between Lehigh County, PA, and Somerset County, NJ. If you visit the above link, you’ll see that the transit study has now become the I-78 Corridor Bus Study. The NJTPA web site states that “potential improvements include new and/or expanded bus service, commuter parking, and new bus priority strategies.” (emphasis added) It seems that studying improved train service has been pushed back, if not dropped.
NJTPA will be holding three public meetings this month to discuss the bus study. Follow the link below for details.
The I-78 Corridor Bus Study meetings will be held as follows:
Monday, May 21, 6-9 PM
Warren County Technical School
Cafeteria
1500 Route 57
Washington, NJ
Tuesday, May 29, 6-9 PM
North Hunterdon High School
Cafeteria B
1445 Route 31
Annandale, NJ
Thursday, May 31, 6-9 PM
Somerset County Vocational Technical School
Cafeteria
North Bridge Street and Vogt Drive
Bridgewater, NJ
If you attend the meetings, let us know what you think about the bus study.
ABG responded on 10 May 2007 at 1:10 am #
How lame! What rail improvements are relevant to the corridor? Is there anyone who could get them back on the list?
Joe Versaggi responded on 10 May 2007 at 10:24 am #
They are focused on I-78 west of I-287 and on Delaware River crossings. Their O&D study says only 6% of those crossing the Delaware are still on I-78 by eastern Somerset County. The traffic is intra-Jersey to corporate office parks. Most of what enters I-78 west of Clinton comes from Pennsylvania.
Sorry, guys, I don’t see the point of extending RVL trains from High Bridge to P-Burg. Extending beyond that was never an option, and NJT doesn’t have access rights on the Lehigh line west of there to begin with. They know full well that NJTRO is obsessed with Manhattan commuters and would not understand running feeder buses form the trains to those office parks.
The purpose was congestion relief to autos on I-78. It was not to put Trans-Bridge out of business or look for excuses to extend the RVL.
ABG responded on 14 May 2007 at 8:07 pm #
Oh well. Thanks for the info!
Joe Versaggi responded on 15 May 2007 at 8:48 am #
If western Jersey I-78 were a funnel into Manhattan, I could see it. For the buses and some trucks, it is, but not so for cars. Serving sprawl by public transit is very difficult, but not impossible. Hang out at Princetion Junction some morning rush and watch all the A1-Limousine buses hauling off reverse commuters. But to think that a stodgy outfit like NJT can do likewise, that is unimaginable. That is also why the proposed West Trenton Line ridership numbers are so bad. They are selling it as a Newark-based service, but that is not what the cars on US206 are doing.