Transit Input Session Draws Six, Comment Period Ends June 24

VILLAS – “You’re talking about people’s lives here.” Those were the words of Tom Henry, a resident of Cape May County since 1945. He spoke during the June 8 meeting of the South Jersey Transportation Planning Organization (SJTPO).
He was one of six members of the public in attendance at the Lower Township Library. The presentation was made by a team of four, Jennifer Marandino, team leader of SJTPO, William Schiavi, manager of regional planning for SJTPO, Matthew Bodnar and Jane Meconi, both consultants with Michael Baker International of Philadelphia, planners.
The planners, as they described themselves attended to explain the 10 goals and strategies that had been listed on the prepared handouts to, in their words, “achieve our vision.”
What they learned during the two-hour meeting was that their pre-determined vision was not the same as that of the county’s residents. The planners started by asking the public to examine the exhibits, which consisted of photographs and maps on the wall, and make observations and suggestions.
It was then the residents’ turn to educate the SJTPO team about Cape May County and its needs.
The first issue discussed was how to connect the bike path that exists throughout most of the county to Upper Township.
Both Henry and Herald Publisher Art Hall pointed out to the team that there are ways of using existing infrastructure, mainly unused railroad tracks, to extend the bike path into Upper Township.
There are also ways to make connections to Sea Isle City and Ocean City in ways that are efficient and would not be an added burden to the taxpayers as well as being environmentally friendly.
Henry told the planners that he had walked those areas for decades and pointed on the map to the best routes.
”You can connect all of Upper Township to Woodbine, Sea Isle City and Ocean City using all existing defunct railroad lines,” said Henry.
The planners took notes. Another area of grave concern was Ocean Drive and the bridges that blanket the water-bounded county.
”Our bridges are rusty and insufficient and old,” said Patricia Hall of Wildwood Crest, noting that there were some bridges from the mainland to barrier islands that could not be used by emergency vehicles when time was of the essence. That fact could cost people’s lives, she said.
The residents noticed that the language used by the SJTPO were words such as “rehab and refurbish” and not build and construct. ”Every year they paint the guard rails on the bridges to keep the rust from falling off,” observed Henry.
Marandino and Bodnar then took pains to explain that their job and the budget to fund them was only for the collection of data and planning for future needs and design to carry out those plans.
None of their multi-million dollar budget went to building anything. There were no plans to build roads or bridges to serve the area.
“It’s hard to get a new road built anywhere,” Schiavi said. A frustrated Art Hall responded that when he and his wife travel out of state they see construction everywhere. “We need expansion. We’re not competitive,” he said.
The issue of easy and safe access contributed to a declining year-round population in his opinion. “We can’t maintain what prior generations built,” Hall lamented adding “We’re told ‘make do, make do.’”
A demographic study commissioned by the SJTPO projected that in 24 years the populations in the counties of Cape May and Salem will decline by 16.05 percent and 2.93 percent respectively while the rest of the state will increase by 12.72 percent and the United States will grow by 18 percent.
Mike Hajek of Rio Grande and a member of the Citizens Action Committee was especially irritated by the failure of the study to give the proper emphasis to the differential in winter and summer populations.
He described a “for instance” from his life. “I belong to Avalon Golf Club. In the winter we have four members, now we have 30 and by the end of the summer we’ll have 63.”
The planners noted that in warmer seasons the population goes from 600,000 to 1.6 million, the size of a large U.S. city.
All of the members of the public in unison asked the planners to do “some of these things.”
Marandino as well as the other team members explained that “MPOs (metropolitan planning organizations) are not advocacy organizations just planning organizations.” She added, “It’s a political decision. It comes down to advocating your position with your elected officials.” Hajek said, “With a 16.05 percent decline in residency funding will go north.”
A total of 1.7 percent of total national transportation funding comes to New Jersey. That is divided among 21 counties. The smaller counties get a smaller share insufficient for their needs.
“Why don’t we get our fair share? Who’s responsible for us not getting our fair share?” asked Patricia Hall.
Henry said that the way to combat that lack of attention to the needs of the residents of South Jersey was to give homeowners, no matter what their primary residents may be, the right to vote on local issues.
“If you let property owners vote it would change everything,” he said. New Jersey, unlike some other states, does not have Initiative and Referendum, which allows for citizens to bring forward and vote on matters important to them. Art Hall echoed his sentiments.
“This is what we need to serve the people and the environment,” said Hall.
Of the 73 projects presently slated 47 are in Atlantic County, 20 in Cape May County and five in Cumberland County.
Marandino asked the attendees to give her a “dream wish list.” She stressed that the deadline for comments on the plan was June 24. Those wishing to do so may email them to www.sjtpo@sjtpo.org or call 856-794-1941 or by postal service, 782 South Brewster Road Unit B6, Vineland, N.J. 08361.
Schiavi urged public involvement. “Individual citizens can communicate to the politicians.” He also noted that people are not attending the public meetings being held by the NJTPO.
In the near future, there will be a public meeting to discuss Routes 55, 47 and 347. He hopes that with all of the interest in the extension of Route 55 and the crunch of summer traffic that meeting would be well attended.
“Cape May County is not getting our fair share. We send a lot of tourist tax dollars to Trenton. Our representatives are not representing us,” said Henry.
But if those in attendance June 8 have anything to say about it, that will change since these are matters of life and death to the people who drive the roads and transverse the bridges of Cape May County.
To contact Helen McCaffrey, email hmccaffrey @cmcherald.com.