Sometimes it becomes very clear why many people don’t trust government. When government agencies and officials are slow to respond, give incorrect information, or just don’t perform the duties charged to them by the public, the result is the loss of public trust. Here are three recent examples — two which Tri-State directly experienced, [...]
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 The town of Brookhaven will use its grant for an environmental review of its plan to develop around the Ronkonkoma LIRR station. A community visioning process to identify ways to reuse the old Department of Public Works site next to the Ossining Train Station. Changing city ordinances to allow denser development at key locations along Newark’s successful Springfield Ave bus rapid transit “GoBus” route. These are two of the eight projects that will receive funding via the One Region Funders Group, The Fund for New Jersey, and the Tri-State Transportation Campaign’s community assistance grants program announced today. The grants will help towns promote residential and commercial development within a half-mile of bus or rail stations, a concept otherwise known as transit-oriented development. Grants range from $10,000 to $50,000, and the eight winners were selected from over 40 applicants. The Westchester, Long Island, and New Jersey grants were announced today, with funds going to Mount Vernon, Ossining, and Peekskill in Westchester; Babylon and Brookhaven in Long Island; and Newark and Trenton in New Jersey. The Connecticut grant will be announced at a public event next week. The program is supported by The Fund for New Jersey and the One Region Funders’ Group, a partnership of private funders including the Westchester Community Foundation, Surdna Foundation, Fairfield County Community Foundation, Long Island Community Foundation, New York Community Trust, Rauch Foundation, and the Emily Hall Tremaine Foundation. The descriptions of winning projects and quotes from recipient town officials, as well as the many applicants we unfortunately could not fund, show that interest in transit-oriented development is strong throughout the region. (Project descriptions and quotes below:) » Continue reading… Newark will install a red-light camera at the intersection of Raymond Blvd. and Broad St. In January of this year, the New Jersey Legislature passed a bill allowing municipalities to join a pilot program that will install red light cameras at key intersections throughout the state. Taking an important step forward, NJDOT announced [...]  Some of the intersection improvements won by TSTC and La Casa de Don Pedro. On Wednesday, TSTC and La Casa de Don Pedro, a Newark-based community group, held a press rally to celebrate pedestrian safety improvements won as a result of joint advocacy efforts. The City of Newark recently installed three flashing street signs at the intersection of Crane Street and Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., giving additional safety to children playing in nearby Coretta Scott King Community Playground and students attending the Barringer 9 Success Academy. In addition to the new lights, the intersection had also been repainted alerting drivers to pay attention to pedestrians. Over a two-year period, Tri-State and La Casa conducted three walking tours of several Newark neighborhoods to call attention to unsafe conditions for pedestrians (see “Newark’s Children Call for Safer Streets” [Oct. 2007], MTR # 542). Working with the City and County, our groups were successful in winning some visible changes. Besides the improvements described above, the earlier walking tours have helped win improvements at eleven other intersections in the Lower Broadway neighborhood. After the jump, a Google Maps image of the intersection before improvements were made:
In April of this year, NJ Transit added style, speed and convenience to the commute between the Irvington Bus Terminal and Newark Penn Station. Servicing the 4.8 mile Springfield Avenue corridor between Newark and Irvington, the “GoBus” has proved such an overwhelming success, that NJ Transit [...] On Monday, the Tri-State Transportation Campaign conducted a walking tour with the Greater Newark Conservancy and 40 teenagers in its Newark Youth Leadership Program. Campaign staffers led the 1.5 mile walk from NJTransit’s Newark Broad Street station to the Rutgers campus, talking about pedestrian and cyclist safety and potential improvements to Newark streets. Above, [...]
Newark officials have issued a Request for Expressions of Interest in the Broad Street Station area. Newark Mayor Cory Booker has identified the revitalization of the Broad Street Station District as a top priority for the City, and has released a detailed concept plan, dubbed the “Living Downtown,” for approximately 50 [...]  NJ Transit executive director Richard Sarles christens a Go25 bus this morning. U.S. Rep. Donald Payne and others look on.
Newark bus trips accounted for 23.8% of all NJ Transit ridership in 2006. On Monday, April 7, thousands of Newark bus riders will begin to see some long-awaited improvements as NJ Transit unveils two new projects that bring New Jersey a step closer toward true bus rapid transit. In an effort to keep the City of Newark and the surrounding community moving, officials and community members from Irvington, Newark and NJ Transit collaborated to develop “Go Bus,” the state’s first “premium bus service.” Servicing the 4.8-mile corridor between Irvington Bus Terminal and Newark Penn Station, the new line offers improved seating, lighting and passenger information displays, streamlined service with fewer stops, redesigned user-friendly shelters, strap hangers, and front and rear exit doors for improved boarding. Go Bus service will operate during weekday morning and evening peak hours, with buses departing Irvington Bus Terminal every 15 minutes from 6:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m., and Newark Penn Station every 15 minutes from 4:05 p.m. to 6:05 p.m. Developed with significant rider input, the new fleet includes five newly rehabilitated buses, and offers riders a new aesthetic experience, with eye-catching blue and green buses, signs and shelters. The new buses will travel from Springfield and Market Streets and down Broad Street in existing bus-only lanes. Similarly, NJ Transit and the City of Newark are designating the center lane of Raymond Blvd as an exclusive bus lane (XBL) during evening peak hours (3:30 – 6:30) in an effort to facilitate mobility and safety in the Newark Penn Station area. Although less than 1000 feet in length, the dedicated lane, specialized signalization, and recently completed pedestrian improvements around the station will ease congestion, protect transit riders en route to and from the station, and keep buses running on schedule. These projects represent good starting points toward a true bus rapid transit system, similar to the one proposed for Newark’s Bloomfield Avenue corridor. BRT is a great congestion mitigation tool, provides a speedy incentive to ride instead of drive, and increase the capacity of lanes without widening. Ultimately, the addition of pre-boarding fare collection and possibly traffic signal priority would lift Go Bus into the category of true bus rapid transit. Nevertheless, we are excited to see forward movement in this vital urban corridor.
NJDOT has targeted state pedestrian funding to Newark, and gave the city nearly $3.5 million last year, thanks in part to the efforts of the Tri-State Campaign and La Casa (see MTR # 542). There’s still much to be done, however. Missing sidewalks and crosswalks were in abundance on key walking routes to school. Also missing were pedestrian signals and flashing lights which would call attention to school zones. More photos after the jump: |
 
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Copyright © 2012 Tri-State Transportation Campaign |
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Earlier this month, the Tri-State Campaign joined the community group La Casa de Don Pedro and students of Benjamin Franklin Elementary School in a community walk in Newark’s North Ward. The walk highlighted the need for the city to “design streets that are safe for the children and adults who live, work, and go to school in Newark,” Tri-State executive director Kate Slevin told the Star-Ledger.