Slagging NJ seems to be the only socially acceptable, politically correct form of bigotry left for New Yorkers. Can you imagine the New York Times printing something like "The underlying terror is that you might have to move to a neighborhood with POOR PEOPLE"? Elitism needs to define itself by something it is not, or at least tries hard not to be.

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Exactly. The "Just get over it" and "Just deal with it, this is how urban areas are" attitude pretty much negates any possibility of things improving, of creating a nicer, more civil place to live. A lot of people DO just give up and move to the suburbs, along with the businesses that employ and serve them, and our cities are left with a lot of people who can't support the local government that serves them. Look at Camden. Look at Trenton. It has gotten better in the last several years, with substantial reinvestment in our cities, Especially JC, but I remember how it was, with our older cities hemorrhaging jobs and population and the quality of life suffering as a result. I get the point that you can't expect to maintain a suburban lifestyle here, with minimal to no interaction with others that is beyond your control, but there is still a lot that can be done to get people to act in a civil manner towards others. I think I must have that "gentle soul" appearance that others have referenced as I get approached a lot. I even had to deal with an aggressive panhandler in Amsterdam, of all places, and they have a great social safety net and treatment programs.

Can't speak for Liberty Harbor, but Hudson Place, near there, rented a space to me when I was regularly staying on a boat in the marina behind them. They never asked for any proof that I was leasing a slip or anything. Outdoor spaces were $160 (top of the parking deck) and indoor ones $215. There is also a tiny lot diagonally across from the Madox that rents spaces. There is a sign on the fence. That Western pest control building seems to have been abandoned since the flood, and there are always spaces in that big lot there, if you're ok with a little risk. There are towing signs of course. I hate when people are so stingy with vacant property. Let it be an asset for someone, ya know? Nobody is going to want to run a business out of there in the near future, or until something is done about the flooding potential.

There are "estates" in Jersey City? JK. You must be British, to use the term in that sense, as well as "timber kitchen cabinets".

The NJT buses are also part of the problem. The one going by my place would often set off car alarms. I noticed one car that would have the alarm triggered routinely. Out of frustration, I left a note on the windshield asking the owner (nicely) to fix his alarm. Miraculously, it worked.

But noise pollution is a real problem here. You'd think that by 2013 someone would have invented a better way for fire trucks and ambulances to signal their approach than by making a lot of noise. 150 years ago, they used barking Dalmations and bells. It hasn't changed much. Its kind of ironic that in the course of improving public safety, they have to lower quality of life.

I realize it is not reasonable to expect a suburban level of quiet in such a city, but a lot of progress could be made with a little bit of enforcement.

When you look at it from space, it looks like one contiguous, messy, sprawling urban megalopolis, one of the largest on earth. You don't see a line in the middle of the Hudson. Political boundaries are curious inventions that allow people to try and differentiate themselves into ever smaller groups of people in order to convey some kind of social status or uniqueness. We share a watershed, we share an eco-region. In order to function properly, transportation planning needs to be done as a region.

I've realized New Jersey residents must bear a heavy burden, which is propping up the self-esteem of New Yorkers. They need to have SOMETHING they can point to and say well, my life here may be difficult, but at least I'm not over THERE. Where would we be without such elitist ideals? Well, we'd be in a much more egalitarian and happy society, I would argue. A sense of insecurity about the place where you live can be assuaged by criticism of other places, especially so if they can be defined by invisible, imaginary lines in the middle of rivers.

"...there is some logic to Christies' decision based on history that the finished product would have massively exceeded the $8B budget"
May have gone over budget, but from seeing the posts on this board and the experience of using the tunnels, it seems like that ARC tunnel is needed more than ever. Waits for the Holland were well over an hour last night and much over lower Manhattan was gridlocked. People are only going to take so much before tempers flare and things get out of hand. Commuters in this region really deserve better.

I must compliment you on your planting and maintenance. Those really look great! I had a tank some years ago, but when I lost everything during a long-term power outage during colder weather, I didn't want to make such risks again. When you go to the trouble of trying to provide a bit of habitat, you want to make it function and not kill your fish, you know? Do you have any kind of back-up power system?

That's what i was looking for as well. Thanks for posting. Any suggestions on who to lean on or write letters to in order to get some more movement on this?

What do you all think of the concept of installing larger elevators at the PA bus terminal? I've read that the reason they do not allow bikes on PA-bound buses is that bottlenecks occur at the elevators to exit the building. Maybe you've already discussed this. I haven't had the time or patience to read through the whole thread.

I'd like to see more bike lanes. With greater usage comes more awareness of bikers and thus safer conditions. The "critical mass" concept. When it becomes safer, more will view it as an acceptable commuting alternative, removing even more cars from the road, creating ever safer conditions overall, for pedestrians as well.

The problem of deficient crossings of the Hudson has been coming up here and on other forums. Would secure, weather-proof bike storage on both sides of the river be a viable option? Weighed against the cost of taking a car through one of the tunnels daily, I think it could be. In Europe, most transit stations have valet-style bike storage facilities. Could that work here?

A rail tunnel from Bayonne or Jersey City to Brooklyn has been looked at, several times over the past century or so. Some are saying its time to revisit the idea. See:http://www.capitalnewyork.com/article ... ich-never-quite-went-away
I'm for it, as I think it would reduce truck traffic at the Hudson crossings. A giant train ferry has also been studied as an alternative or interim step. Think a ferry that big could spare some space for bikes? Hmmm.The return of the cross-harbor tunnel
Freight Ferry Study

Add to that the fact that "green roofs" are typically of what they call the "extensive" type and are built with just a thin layer of soil and used low-growing ground cover type plants that have little or no woody parts, so if they do happen to blow off in heavy winds, its like leaves falling to the ground. Not all have had great success rates with plant survival and often need replacements, but it is an evolving field. You still have some runoff reduction with a thin layer of lightweight soil on a roof.

Exactly. That's why I'm posting here, before I start sending this around like I thought of all this. I've already been in contact with a friend of mine who is a member of bike JC. He has the latest draft, and I intend to go to their next meeting if I can make it. I had the feeling that there was already some momentum on this kind of thing and it was just a matter of finding it and connecting.

Hello all,
I just joined jclist as I thought I might find some people of a similar mindset, and I see from this thread that my hunch was correct. I'm interested in improving conditions for bicycling in JC, and I recently composed a letter to the new mayor that I'd like to put out for signing when I do a final draft. I'd be interested in your comments and discussion regarding the letter, which you will find below.

Dear Mayor Fulop:

We, the undersigned, would like to congratulate you on your recent inauguration. It has been reported that your administration will mark an end to decades of ?machine politics? in Jersey City. We hope that this is so, and we would like to suggest some other positive steps you can make for Jersey City and the region at large.
We would like to see Jersey City become more bicycle-friendly. We feel that bikes are a viable transportation option and should be given greater consideration in new development and infrastructure projects. As you are most likely aware, New York City has made substantial investments in bicycle infrastructure in recent years with bike lanes, dedicated bike paths, and the popular CitiBike program. We feel that many of the metropolitan area?s transportation problems could be mitigated with improvements that make biking more amenable and safer. Besides allowing their users to save on the expense of automobiles or other transportation options, you have the benefit of reduced emissions in a region that often suffers from poor air quality. Consider also the pounding that streets take from cars and the costs of car-oriented infrastructure to a municipality really start to add up. Bicycle infrastructure can be created for a fraction of the cost of typical automobile infrastructure. Much of Jersey City is of a scale and density that make it ideal for bicycle commuting. It is largely a matter of filling in the missing pieces.
More bike lanes and dedicated bike paths are an obvious start. Secure, weather-proof storage near transit stations would go a long way. If you go to train stations in most cities in the Netherlands, a country known for bicycle planning and infrastructure, you will find a staffed bicycle ?valet? system. Many of them are paired with a bicycle repair shop. Bicycles can be left overnight and even weeks on end. At the PATH stations here, there are few locations where you can lock a bicycle. If one were to leave the bike overnight, the bike may be removed and impounded, as signage clearly warns. We think that this is sending the wrong message. The transit stations should be as welcoming as possible to bikes. The simple act of leaving a bicycle at a transit station in order to make a weekend trip should not have to include the risk of impoundment, theft or vandalism.

Another idea that has been promoted to the Port Authority is larger elevators in the Port Authority Bus Terminal. A little bit of digging revealed that the reason the Port Authority does not allow bicycles on buses bound for the terminal is that they feel that the elevators are not large enough. They are already at capacity. While this is outside of the city limits, it is an issue that affects commuters from Jersey City as well as quality of life for the region as a whole. We would like to urge you to get behind this proposal.

How about a ?CitiBike?-style bike sharing system on this side of the Hudson? Hoboken is researching the idea. Jersey City has the mixed blessing of a lot of old, disused railroad right-of-way. Could some of it be re-purposed for bikes or mixed-use trails? Can developers of apartment buildings be required to plan for convenient bike storage? It is acknowledged that the city already has incentives for green buildings and that LEED rating system points are awarded for bike racks. Business districts should have convenient and safe places to lock bikes while shopping, and the ongoing bike rack design competition is a welcome initiative. The suggestions in this letter could be seen as possible manifestations of Resolution 11-68, regarding sustainable land use practices. All of these strategies contribute to a more livable, ?green? city. Making transportation alternatives throughout the metropolitan area as seamless as possible is a key strategy. Just as the currently-stalled ARC tunnel would have vastly simplified train service to Manhattan, bike routes need to be planned in ways that allow for smooth transitions to other modes.

Thank you for taking the time to read this, and again, we wish you well as you begin your first term.