“We know what Newark looks like standing still, and we know that change is needed. With all the diversity in the city, it’s important that we try to work together. Let’s get it together—let’s move Newark.”

Taking to the streets with cameras and imagination, 45 Newark high school interns participated in a two-day exercise with TSTC to re-envision downtown Newark as a “great place” for residents and visitors. The exercise is a result of an on-going partnership with the Greater Newark Conservancy’s Newark Youth Leadership Project. [...]]]>

Reworked Newark plans

Taking to the streets with cameras and imagination, 45 Newark high school interns participated in a two-day exercise with TSTC to re-envision downtown Newark as a “great place” for residents and visitors. The exercise is a result of an on-going partnership with the Greater Newark Conservancy’s Newark Youth Leadership Project. Previous exercises have focused on traffic calming along the Newark section of the East Coast Greenway and around Broad Street Station, and have led to tangible improvements such as better pedestrian signage and more visible crosswalks.

This year’s program was called “Reworking Newark” to encourage students to take a fresh look at their city and develop a new vision of downtown life. After a two-day session including classroom discussions, a walking tour and role playing exercise, the interns suggested more murals and public art, doubling the number of streetlights, expanded express bus service similar to GoBus, a nightclub for teens and more diverse retail and dining options.  This would help make Newark a “great place” to spend time.

Unsightly alley

Students noted that their favorite places -such as Montclair, Hoboken and Teaneck – were all clean, safe places with trees and grass, “happy” people and plenty of things to do. Places they identified as “lousy” were dirty, dangerous and loud with abandoned buildings, vacant lots, anti-social people and a lack of attractions. Many students felt Newark was in this category.

For a walking tour exercise,  students were broken into groups – transportation, retail, human services, housing and parking, parks, culture and art, and streetscape – and tasked to look at Newark’s University Heights neighborhood through that lens.  When they rejoined, the students participated in a role-playing exercise as stakeholders and decision makers involved in the redevelopment process: the “mayor’s office” ran the charette, “city council” focused on the economic development components, “city planners” made sure that the land uses fit together, “transportation engineers” ensured it was easy to get to and around the neighborhoods, “parks department” made new parks and improved existing greenspace, and “neighbors” represented the interests of the residents living in the community.

The value of this partnership is that it reminds Newark’s youth that they are catalysts for positive change and that the prosperity of Newark rests in their hands.  The student’s ideas will be sent to Newark’s Mayor Booker and the city council.

As previously reported in MTR, the new Speedway Elementary School was built along two very busy roadways and near ramps for the Garden State Parkway, without a playground or safe access to a large park across the [...]]]>

The new Speedway Elementary School was built near two busy roads and the Garden State Parkway.

As previously reported in MTR, the new Speedway Elementary School was built along two very busy roadways and near ramps for the Garden State Parkway, without a playground or safe access to a large park across the street. The new building will house K-5 in its first year of operation, with pre-kindergarten and middle school students moving in during the 2011-12 school year.

Officials from the Schools Development Authority, NJDOT, NJ State Senate, Essex County and the City of Newark have been invited to help the community address concerns before children move into the new building. The agenda will cover the lack of crossing guards and the need for traffic calming near the school, the lack of a permanent certificate of occupancy, the lack of a security plan to deal with the troubled public housing development next door, the lack of a playground, and lack of outside space for children in case of a fire or other emergency.

On Wednesday, February 3, the parents and community of Speedway Elementary School in Newark will meet at 6:30pm at the old Speedway school (26 Speedway Ave.) on these issues. The meeting is hosted by Councilman Ron Rice, in conjunction with the school’s Parent Liaison, the Speedway PTA, One Newark Education Coalition, and the Tri-State Transportation Campaign.

Image: Google Maps.

We learn some of our most important lessons in elementary school: how to share, how to read, how to study. For the students slated [...]]]>

Speedway Elementary School in Newark (seen under construction in this photo) is at the intersection of two major roads that feed into and off of the Garden State Parkway.

We learn some of our most important lessons in elementary school: how to share, how to read, how to study. For the students slated to move into Newark’s newly constructed Speedway Elementary School on February 12,  there’s a new lesson — how to dodge traffic.

The aptly titled elementary school (named after its former home on Speedway Avenue) was built at the intersection of two busy roads, South Orange Avenue and Oraton Parkway, which take traffic to and from the Garden State Parkway. The new school also lacks an on-site playground, meaning students will have to negotiate this intersection to get to a nearby park for recess, as well as before and after class.

The elementary school is located within a few blocks of several on- and off-ramps of the Garden State Parkway.

Outraged parents and community advocates are working with members of the Newark City Council, the Essex County Freeholders, and state representatives to make sure there is some protection in place for students when the school opens in February. Unfortunately, most Newarkers know that this is not the first time a busy road has threatened the lives of city students. In March 1997, every parent’s worst fear was realized when 8-year-old Terrell James was killed by a car speeding past Belmont-Runyon Elementary toward the I-78 ramps. Terrell’s senseless death led to the adoption of the “Terrell James Law,” which prohibits the state from building schools within 1,000 feet of highway on- and off-ramps. Unfortunately for Speedway students, the law was not signed until January 2008, after the new site was selected.

Initial plans for the school included a pedestrian bridge across South Orange Ave. to help students safely cross to Vailsburg Park for recess, but the bridge never materialized due to a $5 million price tag. In the long run, heavy traffic calming measures may be the ideal solution. In the near term, parents and members of the Safe Streets, Safe Kids coalition are working with Speedway administrators to develop a safety plan, with the city to ensure that crossing guards will be present, and with county freeholders in the hopes of getting basic infrastructure improvements, such as flashing lights and more visible crosswalks.

Thankfully, Speedway is among the ten schools included in NJDOT’s 2010 Safe Routes to School program, which will provide resources for school staff working with parents and students on the safest ways to get to and from school. Hopefully the transition will be smooth, and students will be safe come February 12. But the lesson for policymakers is the need to learn from past tragedy, and make certain that a child’s pursuit of knowledge is not a gamble for their life.

Images: Google Street View/Maps.

The following is a first-person account by TSTC general counsel Kyle Wiswall.

Tri-State often works with victims of unnecessary road projects.  But this is the first [...]]]>

This time, it's personal: Widening Route 21 would impact properties on the west side of the road (on the left in the photo) -- including my house.

The following is a first-person account by TSTC general counsel Kyle Wiswall.

Tri-State often works with victims of unnecessary road projects.  But this is the first time one of the staff has been directly in the line of fire.

A couple of years ago, the New Jersey Department of Transportation put out a study called the Route 21 Newark Needs Analysis.  The study addressed “safety and operational” issues along a just-over-a-mile segment of Route 21, or McCarter Highway, a four-lane arterial running through downtown Newark.  The study suggested two possible fixes: the “four-lane concept” and the “six-lane concept.”  The DOT has yet to hear the city’s preference since Mayor Cory Booker took office (former mayor Sharpe James preferred the six-lane concept) and is waiting for the administration’s input before selecting the preferred alternative.

The four-lane concept keeps the current size of the road, installs a new traffic signal system, upgraded pedestrian crossings and a raised 12′ median/pedestrian refuge.  These safety improvements directly address pedestrian safety issues on Essex County’s most dangerous road.

The six-lane option incorporates the safety improvements of the four-lane option, then obviates them by making the road 50% wider.

The six-lane concept adds two lanes on top of these improvements.  Because NJ Transit and Amtrak tracks run along the east side of McCarter, the widening would all take place on the west side of the road.  The added space won’t solve any safety issues and will make it more dangerous.  In fact, it will likely lead to more traffic, obviating any short-term operational benefit.  But this post isn’t (entirely) about that.

This post is about an added threat from the six-lane concept, one that really hits home, so to speak.  My home is smack in the middle of the project area on the west side of the road. The new lanes would end just about halfway into my bedroom – the entire building will be razed and paved over.

Do I think the six-lane concept is an unnecessary capacity expansion that will ultimately make the road less safe, Newark more congested and exacerbate quality of life issues already caused by traffic on McCarter?  Yes.  Do I also think, as in Jaws: The Revenge, that this time it’s personal?  Yes.

A quick message for the City of Newark:  NJDOT prefers the four-lane concept!  Councilman Augusto Amador, the Tri-State Campaign, and a variety of community groups have all endorsed the four lane concept!  Get on board. Mayor Booker has yet to officially endorse either option, but I’m watching, and I’m ready to put together a home-cooked meal for the mayor and four of his friends. If my kitchen’s still standing.

Images: Cross-section via NJDOT.

Many communities that receive federal Safe Routes to School grants are looking to encourage more students to walk and bike to school through programs like the “walking school bus.” However, [...]]]>

In parts of Newark, walking to and from school can mean dealing with unsafe traffic, violent crime, and a general lack of infrastructure.

Many communities that receive federal Safe Routes to School grants are looking to encourage more students to walk and bike to school through programs like the “walking school bus.” However, in urban areas children are already walking to school, and the needs of the community are very different. In Newark, a recent spate of gun violence, ever-present reckless drivers, and generally unsafe streets have sparked a city-wide movement to protect children along their daily commute to school.

Newark received its first-ever Safe Routes to School grant in the spring, with the city getting money for infrastructure improvements and local education, transportation and civic organizations getting funds for program activities. These groups, which include the One Newark Education Coalition, Meadowlink, and the Tri-State Transportation Campaign, formally joined forces to make it safer for kids to walk and bike to school. But they found that violence and dangerous traffic were hampering the program goal of improving student health by increasing walk- and bike-to-school rates.

In response, advocates formed Safe Streets, Safe Kids – a wider coalition of seemingly separate groups working to address safety issues with one voice, dedicating themselves to safe schools, safe streets and safe communities. Safe Streets, Safe Kids will integrate efforts from a broad range of Super Neighborhood Councils, transportation and education advocates, community development corporations and other nonprofit groups in 14 schools throughout the city.

On September 8, community members, school officials and advocates gathered near Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School to announce the new coalition and address growing concerns over safety as Newark students pour back into classrooms for the new school year. Held at the corner of 8th St. and Central Ave., Newark’s fourth-most dangerous intersection (measured by crashes causing pedestrian death or injury), the Safe Streets, Safe Kids event showcased the city’s growing pedestrian safety movement and the many different perspectives it takes to make the walk home from school truly safe for Newark students.

“Our children encounter conflict on a daily basis, in the schools and in the community,” said Johnnie Lattner of the One Newark Education Coalition. “At the end of the day, all of us must take an active role, as adults, in making our streets safer for students traveling to school and back home again.”

(Zoe Baldwin contributed to this story.)

Founded in June, the Brick City Bike Collective (BCBC) recently hit Newark’s streets, with Mayor Cory Booker joining the group for its first ride on August 7th.

Since the middle of the [...]]]>

Mayor Cory Booker and Newark residents meet for the Brick City Bike Collective's first ride.

(Zoe Baldwin contributed to this story.)

Founded in June, the Brick City Bike Collective (BCBC) recently hit Newark’s streets, with Mayor Cory Booker joining the group for its first ride on August 7th.

Since the middle of the last century, Newark has been an autocentric place that is hostile to cyclists. Wide roads like McCarter Highway bisect communities and encourage speeding, while broken glass and potholes increase the chances of a crash.  The Collective is working get more Newarkers out on bikes, make drivers more aware of bikers and encourage city planners to implement bike-friendly policies and infrastructure. So far, the group has 60 members.

Mayor Booker rides through Branch Brook Park with BCBC members.

At its inaugural ride, the Collective traveled up Beaver Street through Branch Brook Park, ending at Independence Park in the Ironbound.  Members got the unique opportunity to chat with their Mayor in an informal setting.

“Enjoying Newark on two wheels is a vision I share with many others, and Newark has the potential to be a truly green, bike-able city,” BCBC member Elizabeth Reynoso told TSTC staffer Zoe Baldwin during the ride. “The Brick City Bike Collective taps into that, giving riders a voice and building a community that will encourage more and more people to get around the city by bike.”

In late July, the group tabled at the Lincoln Park Music Festival, handing out spoke cards, bike safety coloring books and collecting information on where people commonly ride in Newark.  Free bike maintenance and a “bike waterfall,” built by members Ryan Reedell and Marie Pasquariello, were popular with the crowd.

The group’s monthly event schedule include a group ride every first Friday, meeting at Beaver St. (between Market and Clinton) at 7pm and bike repair days in Lincoln Park every third Sunday from 2p to 4p. More rides will be added to a calendar on their site soon.  Look for more info at brickcitybikecollective.org (still under construction) or reach them at brickcitybikecollective@gmail.com.

Newark children enjoy BCBC's "water bike" at the Lincoln Park Music Festival.

A BCBC member helps with bike maintenance. BCBC's logo is shown in the back left.

“Who in this room personally knows someone who has been hit by a car?” Tri-State’s Zoe Baldwin asked a classroom of the 45 high school students interning [...]]]>

High school students in the Newark Youth Leadership Project were asked if they knew someone who had been hit by a vehicle. This was their response.

“Who in this room personally knows someone who has been hit by a car?” Tri-State’s Zoe Baldwin asked a classroom of the 45 high school students interning as part of the Greater Newark Conservancy’s Newark Youth Leadership Project.

Over half raised their hands, in a memorable moment from a traffic calming curriculum held on Monday, July 13 and Friday, July 17. For the second year in a row, the curriculum combined classroom and field components to highlight the relationships between pedestrian safety, land use,  environmentalism, and urban revitalization, and how communities can organize around these important issues. MTR covered the curriculum’s first year in this article.

During Monday’s classroom exercise, students heard from several speakers, each approaching the topic of pedestrian safety from a different angle. TSTC Executive Director Kate Slevin contrasted the damage inflicted by auto-centric urban planning with progressive planning focused on all street users, and Associate Director Veronica Vanterpool spoke on the benefits of walkable streets and green communities. Newark City Planner Perris Straughter discussed how good planning and streetscape has made and can continue to make Newark a stronger community, and gave an overview of the logistics of city planning. Kim Wiley-Schwartz of Livable Streets Education and Zoe Baldwin of TSTC put pedestrian safety into a community empowerment context, giving a “Community Organizing 101” lesson and highlighting the positive changes that come from involved citizens.

Lastly, Dolores Newman, Co-Chair of the NJ Committee of the East Coast Greenway Alliance, gave background on the national movement and the trail itself, as well as the advocacy efforts needed to ensure its completion. The Greenway is a developing trail system that spans nearly 3,000 miles between Canada and Key West, Florida, linking the major cities of the eastern seaboard. Traveling northward, the New Jersey section begins in Trenton, winds its way up through New Brunswick, and ends in Newark, where travelers are directed to take the PATH train to Jersey City. The trail avoids trafficked roads when possible, but this wasn’t an option in the city, so walking conditions along the Greenway are in the same state as much of Newark’s pedestrian landscape – in need of repair.

Students broke into groups and walked the city, finding examples of both good and bad pedestrian infrastructure. Click to see more pictures from the event.

On Friday, students heard a short presentation from Greenway volunteer and RBA planner Mike Dannemiller, then broke into six groups to document conditions along portions of the route. Upon returning to the classroom, the groups presented their findings: potholed streets and cracked sidewalks, obscured signs and missing bike racks — and, in places, new crosswalks, speed humps, benches, and trees that the city has installed in recent years. These results, and the students’ proposed remedies, are currently being turned into a report that will be sent to Mayor Cory Booker, the Newark engineering department, media outlets, and the East Coast Greenway Alliance in an effort to improve walking conditions and publicize this East Coast treasure.

Photographs were taken by members of the Newark Youth Leadership Project. See more photos at Tri-State’s Facebook page.

An expansion of Newark’s GoBus service is only the first of many bus projects NJ Transit has in the works, TSTC learned after a recent meeting with agency staff. Statewide bus [...]]]>

The approximate locations of NJ Transit's major bus projects. (Springfield Ave. GoBus is already running; the others are being implemented or studied.)

An expansion of Newark’s GoBus service is only the first of many bus projects NJ Transit has in the works, TSTC learned after a recent meeting with agency staff. Statewide bus plans include projects on Route 9 in Monmouth County, Bergen and Passaic Counties, and Route 1 in Central NJ. But the agency faces several obstacles to bus rapid transit expansion in some of New Jersey’s most congested corridors.

In many cases, the quality of existing infrastructure is the largest hindrance to progress. In some places, old traffic signals prevent NJ Transit from implementing full signal prioritization. Other bus corridors center around highways where there are almost no sidewalks or other pedestrian amenities.

Most bus shelters in the state are maintained by private companies or local governments, giving NJ Transit limited control over their design and upkeep. This makes it difficult to implement one of the quintessential components of a “true” BRT system, updated shelter design. Features like pre-boarding fare collection and “next bus in X minutes” information greatly enhance the overall efficiency and customer experience.

In parts of the state, BRT planners have gotten pushback from local businesses who fear that loss of parking for bus lanes will alienate customers. In others, business owners want better bus access and feel that existing studies will not give it to them.

NJ Transit overcame one obstacle to better bus service in January of this year, when the State Legislature passed a bill that adjusted state regulations on bus axle weights. This clears the way for NJ Transit to buy low-floor buses, which provide easier and quicker access for passengers as they get on and off the bus.

Below is a brief outline of NJ Transit’s major bus projects:

Newark: Bloomfield Ave. – Newark Airport GoBus

Closest to completion is a project to enhance bus service along the busy Bloomfield Ave. corridor in the Township of Bloomfield and the City of Newark, connecting to the Newark light rail and the Springfield Ave. GoBus. As part of the Liberty Corridor initiative, the route also establishes a one-seat ride to the airport and connects to existing bus service to the port areas of Elizabeth and Newark.

Signal prioritization will be implemented along the whole corridor, but not at every intersection. NJ Transit planners told MTR that they are looking at Staten Island’s Victory Blvd., where NYCDOT has installed signal prioritization to speed up multiple bus routes, as a model.

However, the planned route runs on both City of Newark and Essex County streets, which use two different signal systems. Newark’s signals are too old to allow signal priority and would need to be replaced entirely. Some local merchants have balked at extension of dedicated bus lane hours, due to the loss of parking.

Replacement of some traffic signals and construction of new shelters with improved passenger information (funded through the federal economic stimulus) began in the spring. Exact location of stops has jet to be determined, but service is expected to begin by the end of 2009.

Route 9 (Monmouth & Ocean Counties)

In 2006, buses gained access to Route 9′s shoulder lanes on a 4.2-mile stretch in Old Bridge. NJ Transit now aims to enhance existing bus service by extending the use of the highway’s shoulder lanes for buses from Old Bridge south to Lakewood. Implementation could likely begin as soon as the engineering analysis wraps up, if funding for the project is identified.

Bergen-Passaic Bus Study

This wide-ranging study is a joint effort between the North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority and NJ Transit to improve bus service in Bergen and Passaic Counties, potentially improving access to northern Essex County, northern Hudson County, central and southern Passaic County, southern Orange and Rockland Counties in New York, and Manhattan (particularly via the George Washington Bridge).

Potential capital improvements include new and restructured bus and shuttle routes; vanpool, carpool, or other non-traditional transit programs and subsidies; shoulder lane, “queue jump” operations, and transit signal priority to expedite buses through congested intersections; new or enhanced park and ride facilities and transit hubs; improved passenger facilities and access at bus stops; and informational enhancements and better coordination of various transit services.

The main centers already identified in the study are William Paterson University, Bergen County Community College, Hackensack Medical Center, and numerous malls. William Paterson University will lead an examination of how to maximize student ridership. Longer term plans include bus service between Paterson and Morris County on the Broadway corridor.

The business community south of Route 4 is angry that it is not in the initial scope. The perpetually congested Route 17 may only have two stops, partially due to the complete lack of pedestrian infrastructure along the roadway. One possible solution is shuttle service between Route 17 bus stops and nearby destinations.

The next step in the process is a series of stakeholder meetings, broken up into subgroups such as Education and Shopping. According to NJTPA, the study should conclude by next summer.

Central NJ Route 1 Bus Rapid Transit

This study envisions bus rapid transit through Mercer, Middlesex, and Somerset Counties as part of the Route 1 Regional Growth Strategy. The BRT system is estimated to transport 31,200 person trips per weekday and will include several park and ride lots. Since such a system could cost hundreds of millions of dollars, the study also includes a plan to phase in implementation.

NJ Transit is currently working on ridership analysis, route configuration, and a growth strategy that will tie into any bus plans for the corridor. For example, the expansion of the Quaker Bridge Mall in Lawrenceville will include a pedestrian overpass that makes the mall accessible to bus riders. A completed study is expected by early 2010 (how soon any construction would begin is an open question and likely depends on many factors, including the progress of the Regional Growth Strategy meetings.)

Routes 42/55 Bus Rapid Transit

Announced in May, this joint project between NJDOT and the Delaware River Port Authority proposes dedicated bus lanes on I-676 and Routes 42 and 55, speeding bus travel between Gloucester County, Camden, and Philadelphia. The bus study is part of a larger South Jersey transportation plan including a new light rail line and improvements to the Atlantic City Rail Line. The agencies are seeking federal money for the project, which is clearly years away.