VILLAS – Sometimes it pays to take your complaint to City Hall – sometimes it doesn’t.
Two residents recently approached the Lower Township Council with requests regarding NJ Transit bus service.
Edgar Neel, a Seashore Road resident, asked if the council could inquire about moving a bus stop that is near his home. Neel said NJ Transit buses pick up or discharge passengers in the wee hours of the morning at the stop located near Farmstead Avenue and Strawberry Lane, and it makes it hard for him to sleep.
Neel also held up a bag of litter he picked up in the area, saying those waiting for the bus toss litter on the ground.
Coincidentally, Jess Rynkiewicz, who lives off Seashore Road, was at the same meeting to talk about the need for more public transportation in the township. Rynkiewicz cited the expense of purchasing and owning an automobile these days, and was hoping the governing body would encourage NJ Transit to add bus service and bus stops along Breakwater Road.
Township Manager Mike Laffey said he was able to hold a Zoom meeting with NJ Transit officials to discuss the two requests and found the first was easy to resolve, but the second, not so much.
Laffey said Neel and his advocate, Lana Samuels, had already brought the matter to the county’s attention, and even contacted NJ Transit on their own.
When contacted by the township, the transportation agency had no objection to moving the bus stop, provided the Lower Township Council pass a resolution on the change. That happened Monday, May 19, establishing new stops northbound on Seashore Road at Mayflower Avenue and southbound at Strawberry Lane, 105 feet north of the curb line.
Removed were the stops at Farmstead Avenue on the northbound side of Seashore and southbound, near Strawberry Lane.
Laffey said relocating a bus stop is probably an easier resolution than rerouting buses or creating a new route. He said he understands the problem for individuals who would like to have more options for public transportation.
“Jesse years ago wanted a bus route to come to the airport,” the manager said, adding that it was possible to get buses to the airport but there were no stops on Breakwater Road. He said he knows Rynkiewicz has been working on the issue for nine or 10 months.
Laffey said he would follow up on both inquiries in the near future.
In the meantime, Rynkiewicz has been investigating the reestablishment of light rail service to Lower Township. He said he has reached out to Rep. Jeff Van Drew, Sen. Corey Booker and Sen. Andy Kim.
Rynkiewicz said there is $66 billion in funding available for transportation infrastructure. He said there are railroad tracks already in place that pass within two miles of his home, and he would like to see rail service resume. He claims ridership on buses is 40%, whereas trains are generally 72% full on trains from New Jersey and New York.
He said he feels, however, there are no plans by NJ Transit or the South Jersey Transportation Planning Organization to invest in light rail transportation in the future. He said bus stops are not likely for Breakwater Road because there must be curbs.
Calls to Kim’s office and NJ Transit were not immediately returned.
Contact the reporter, Christopher South, at csouth@cmcherald.com or call 609-886-8600, ext. 128.
