NEWS 01/31/2017
Commuters Weigh In On Port Authority Bus Plan In Bergenfield Lorraine Ash
BERGENFIELD, N.J. — Fumes, leaks, long lines: Bergen commuters told a Senate committee in Bergenfield Monday night they have
a lot of complaints about the Port Authority bus terminal in Manhattan.
“Almost categorically, on Fridays you can’t get out of the terminal because buses can’t get in due to traffic,” said Deborah Bouchard of
Bergenfield, longtime commuter.
She suggested parking buses in a lot now used by cars.
Bouchard and two dozen others testified before the Senate Legislative Oversight Committee at a hearing on the Port Authority’s 10
Year Capital Plan, which calls for a new Eighth Avenue terminal.
At the same time, like New Jersey lawmakers, they are wary that the $3.5 billion proposed to build the terminal won’t be enough.
And then what?
The hearing, which took place at the Bergenfield Municipal Building, was the second of two the committee held on the controversial
plan.
A transcript of all residents' comments – and those of New Jersey Transit representatives and advocates who testified in the afternoon
– will be presented to the Port Authority leadership.
A vote on the plan is scheduled for Feb. 16, though New Jersey officials are urging the Port Authority to delay it.
James Veach of Teaneck has a threehour daily commute.
Commuter Laura Vogel of Englewood belongs to the Better Bus Alliance. "Why not have more local buses that take us to the rails?" she asks.
“For me, this hearing is key because it is essential that we hear from the customers of Port Authority,” said Sen. Bob Gordon (DFair
Lawn), committee chairman.
More than 28 percent of those who use the terminal are from Bergen County, he added.
According to a Port Authority study, bus ridership is expected to increase 50 percent by 2040.
Projections also show that Manhattan will add 300,000 jobs in the next decade, according to Gordon.
...
There’s widespread concern, Gordon said, that $3.5 billion will be inadequate to ensure construction will be finished in 10 years.
Any construction delay, he added, would have “longlasting negative repercussions” for New Jersey.
Commuter AnneMarie Romano of Bergenfield is worried.
“One of my main concerns is that the Port Authority underfunds the bus terminal and then the only thing that’s viable is to build a
terminal in the Meadowlands, which is a terrible idea,” she said.
...
“Failure to adequately fund the new bus terminal is blatantly disrespectful to New Jersey commuters and Bergen County commuters,”
she said.
James Veach of Teaneck, who has a three hour daily commute, urged the committee not to shortchange the new terminal when it
comes to design.
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Some questioned whether the money spent on a PATH extension to Newark would be better invested in the bus terminal.
http://bergenfield.dailyvoice.com/news/commuters-weigh-in-on-port-authority-bus-plan-in-bergenfield/698143/