Just back from the presentation of the JC mobility 2050 plan. This plan will be going before the JC planning board for adoption on April 14. Now is the time to look at it and make comments before it is made final.

http://www.jerseycitymobility2050.com/
send comments to:
jerseycitymobility2050@gmail.com
fax 201-547-4323, attn: Naomi Hsu

I missed the first and second meetings. Did anyone else go? what were they like, and how well were they attended?

I was surprised at the low turnout on such an important issue. There were less than 30 people there and it seemed about half of them were from the city or the planning consultants. They had 9 very large maps on display that will be at the planning department for public review along with a copy of the plan. It will also be available at the website http://www.jerseycitymobility2050.com/

Mayor Healy started off the presentation with some positive talk about the existing network of transportation, and how over 40% of JC residents commute to work on public transit. He acknowledged the problems with the current bus system(s), and he also said that he favored separated bike lanes where possible.

Then T&M associates presented a basic powerpoint of the highlights of the plan, a few examples of how they gathered the information, and how the results can be used by the city to implement the plan.

The public comments were concerns about the bicycle lanes, local buses and light rail, and about the scope of the plan and its relation to the ongoing bus study.

The cancellation of services by the private bus companies was the most urgent issue, but all the planners up front deferred the question as better directed to the latest ongoing bus study.

Lafayette residents asked about the "future" light rail stop at Pacific and Haladay that has been talked about since '99, but that NJT has not moved on. Someone commented that NJT was looking into doing a new "20 year" plan of the light rail system for improvements and expansion, and there was an opportunity for the community to pressure NJT to make the stop a priority.

Someone asked about the details of how the bus study would relate to this "circulation master plan", and how they connect to the overall master plan of the city. The question of previous studies on transportation and the results of those studies came up, but it seems that all got lost in the political shuffles between administrations.

I asked about whether they looked at the problem of the multiple agencies providing services and the possibility of combining agencies or creating a new one to take over primary responsibility for public transit, and was told that was beyond the scope of this study.

Overall I like the premise of the plan, and look forward to reading it once it is online. I feel there may be some devils in the details. The Jersey Avenue extension to LSP and the Bergen Arches are things to keep an eye on.