NJ Transit holds series of hearings on plan to relieve traffic congestion in Route 1 corridor.
By: David Campbell
Is the Princeton area ready for Bus Rapid Transit, an advanced public-transportation service that could provide relief from area traffic congestion? A new study being headed by NJ Transit seeks to find out.
Public involvement and input are critical to the study, said Richard M. Amodei, vice president of STV Inc. and project manager for the Central New Jersey Route 1 Bus Rapid Transit Alternatives Analysis Study.
"We’re trying to get as much information from the public as possible," Mr. Amodei said Tuesday at the second of three public forums held this month for members of the public to ask questions about the study and give input.
The third session is set for Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at MarketFair in West Windsor off Route 1. Tuesday’s session was held at the West Windsor Township Municipal Building. Mr. Amodei said two more series of three forums each are planned to be held in the fall and winter.
Last year, NJ Transit’s board of directors unanimously approved a $614,000 contract with STV, which specializes in engineering, architectural, planning, environmental and construction management.
Sponsors with NJ Transit in the study are the state Department of Transportation, the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission, and the North Jersey Transportation Planning Association. The Central Jersey Transportation Forum and the Federal Transit Administration are partners.
The alternatives analysis now begun is the first formal planning step required by the FTA for projects seeking federal funding, Mr. Amodei said. Depending on the study’s findings, the federal money could eventually be used to finance a BRT demonstration project in the Route 1 corridor.
The alternatives analysis, begun in January, is expected to take about a year to complete. Potential costs and ridership for any BRT transit alternative will be examined in the study, the project manager said.
BRT is an advanced form of public transportation that can use sleek, train-like, rubber-tired vehicles on regular roads or dedicated "busways." The vehicles can get priority at traffic signals to speed travel times and use innovative technology for fare collection and station information.
Mr. Amodei said the study will evaluate the feasibility of several possible variants of BRT to see which, if any, could be right for the region.
It will also evaluate optimizing the existing use of the Dinky train line or possibly converting the right-of-way into a BRT or light-rail alignment. If BRT is recommended for the Dinky line, buses could potentially access corporate and other centers along Route 1 and beyond from the current right-of-way, Mr. Amodei said.
Marvin Reed, a member of the Princeton Regional Planning Board and former Princeton Borough mayor, submitted several comments at Tuesday’s forum that in part stressed the value of the existing Dinky line to Princeton residents and urged against substituting "a cheap bus system that downgrades what we already have."
"Consider a BRT system that could be better than the current Dinky train," Mr. Reed said in his comments.
He recommended converting the Dinky line "immediately" as a demonstration project and then extending branches as demand justifies. However, he said a dedicated BRT roadway along the existing Dinky track should be built and the rails not removed until an alternative system has "proved its worth."
Participating municipalities should be encouraged to modify their zoning, the former mayor said, to encourage high-density residential development near station stops on any future BRT lines, noting that an expanded BRT system "will have little potential to become self-supporting" without such housing in place.
Sandra Brillhart, executive director of the Greater Mercer Transportation Management Association, said the association, which has done its own study of BRT in the past and recommended it for the region, hopes the new analysis will confirm those recommendations.
Ms. Brillhart, who also attended the Tuesday session, said a feeder service to the BRT system for example, shuttles linking outlying areas to the system is "critical." She said she is also hopeful the alternatives analysis will have recommendations on enhancing service on the Dinky line, but said it remains to be seen whether BRT or light rail are options.
Princeton Planning Director Lee Solow, who also attended the forum, similarly expressed interest in the study and the changes it may recommend for the Dinky, which he said hopefully will include improved service on the line.
"Hopefully it will reduce some of the congestion in the area, and I think that is what their focus is all about," Mr. Solow said.