According to a recently released survey, most residents living near the proposed Monmouth-Ocean-Middlesex (MOM) line want it to be built. Officials from South Brunswick highly doubt the accuracy of the poll and continue to oppose the line.
The poll, commissioned by Monmouth and Ocean counties and conducted by McLaughlin & Associates, surveyed 150 residents from Ocean County, 150 from Monmouth County and 200 from Middlesex County. It showed that 78 percent of people in Middlesex favor the line, while 81 percent in Ocean and 79 percent in Monmouth also favor it.
“We could do a survey of 1,000 people and come up with our own numbers,” said South Brunswick Mayor Frank Gambatese. “A sample of 500 is not indicative of anything. It does not impress me in the least. They ought to be ashamed of themselves.”
“Monmouth and Ocean counties did it because they thought it was to their advantage,” said Middlesex County Freeholder Director David Crabiel. “They want to dump it into Middlesex.”
Monmouth County Freeholder Director Lillian Burry disagrees.
“All of this was done on a very professional scale,” Burry said. “Apparently, they [McLaughlin & Associates] can back their numbers.”
Burry said the group came up with the questions, who to poll, and basically everything about the survey.
“People want it,” Burry said. “I don’t think anyone can argue with that.”
She added that it would behoove the elected officials in Middlesex to listen to their constituents.
The survey was conducted via phone interviews Dec. 12 and 13. It began with some questions about the person’s commute and what issues are most important to that person, including taxes and traffic. Then they asked about the MOM line. Two other potential options for rail lines that would run through Matawan or Lakehurst were not mentioned. After telling those polled where the line would travel, here is what was asked, according to the survey itself:
“For area residents, this alignment would permit more transportation options when traveling within the region and also connect residents by rail to places like Trenton, New Brunswick, Metro Park, Newark Airport, New York City, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington, D.C., and Boston. Knowing this, do you favor or oppose this alignment?”
Residents in all three counties also said they would be more likely to vote for a candidate for office who supported the MOM line.
Burry said the MOM line is the only logical route.
“It’s the missing link in the New Jersey Transit line,” she said.
Gambatese compared the survey to one South Brunswick did on its own. Gambatese said the township sent out 10,800 surveys, one to every homeowner in town, and got 3,300 back. Yet Gambatese said he does not have to survey his residents.
“We have gotten hundreds of letters from people who don’t want this to happen,” he said.
The mayor added that homes would have to be displaced to build the line and to build a tunnel that would be needed.
Burry said her only concern was preserving Monmouth Battlefield so it does not disrupt the historical nature of the land. She also mentioned that providing parking for the people who use the trains would be a major challenge.
Money also seems to be a big issue with officials on both sides.
“Nobody wants to come up with the money for this,” Crabiel said. “There is no money.”
“I’m hoping it’ll be 100 percent funded by the federal government,” Burry said. “Don’t look to the state for anything, because your stocking will be empty.”