West Windsor busing needs are to be assessed

Task force to examine needs of senior citizens

By: Nick Norlen
   WEST WINDSOR — West Windsor Township has formed a Senior Transportation Task Force to assess the busing needs of residents.
   Mayor Shing-Fu Hsueh said the task force, which will include representatives from different senior communities, will be aimed at producing one of two outcomes: An extension of existing busing services or creating a new transit program.
   "I want to really follow up on the needs of the seniors in this community," he said. "What I expect from this task force is for them to tell me what exactly the needs are and what we need to do to accommodate the needs from different segments of the senior community."
   However, township resident and Planning Board Chairman Marvin Gardner, who will chair the task force, said it will address the transportation needs of both seniors and regular commuters.
   He said the task force will use surveys previously compiled by the township’s senior center and will conduct a new survey "to identify the nature and extent of these needs for senior citizens."
   According to Mr. Gardner, the task force will exist for just one year.
   "We need to be proactive and act expeditiously," he said. "We hope to at least implement some kind of system that will ameliorate the problems presently facing a sizable number of senior citizens residing in the township."
   Mayor Hsueh said the best case scenario would be extending the transit programs already in place, which Mr. Gardner said could potentially be accomplished by "sharing bus service with other municipalities."
   Such a possibility was also mentioned by Township Councilman Franc Gambatese, who stated his support of a shuttle service for senior citizens at a recent council meeting.
   Mr. Gambatese said West Windsor could potentially share resources with South Brunswick Township, where his father, Frank Gambatese, is mayor.
   "We’re going to try to piggyback off what they’re doing," he said.
   Mr. Gambatese went on to cite the possibility of having satellite parking within the township to enable continuous shuttle loops during rush hour.
   Mr. Gardner said one solution could be a system that serves different groups at different times — commuters at rush hour, and seniors during the day.
   He said the task force will look into the possibility of public-private partnerships from which the township could receive donations of vehicles or funding to cover transit programs.
   Both Mr. Gardner and Mayor Hsueh said the township has requested assistance from both the county and U.S. Rep. Rush Holt (D-12) in obtaining grants for the project.
   Township Council President Linda Geevers, who also supported the concept of a shuttle service at a recent meeting, said she thinks the task force is a step in the right direction.
   "There are many seniors in town that do not drive at all, and therefore it’s very difficult for them to get to the food store or the doctor’s or even to the train station. Some of them have to rely on getting a taxicab just to get to the train," she said. "(The task force) can research the issues and they can lay out some of the options. I’m looking forward to what they come up with."