Council to Review New Bus Shelter Locations [Poll]
Petition circulated over lack of bus shelter on section of Cedar Lane.
Photos
The Township Council will explore locations for bus shelters in town after a resident raised concerns about the location of one shelter on a section of Cedar Lane.
Art Vatsky, a Teaneck resident, has repeatedly called for a bus shelter at Cedar Lane’s Chestnut Avenue Plaza. New Jersey Transit is providing replacement shelters and installing new ones at the request of the township, however, the Chestnut Avenue location was not included.
Vatsky circulated a petition advocating for the Chestnut Avenue Plaza shelter, saying the area would be more appealing for shoppers and commuters.
At Tuesday’s council meeting, Councilman Elie Y. Katz said he would work to collect public input and review other possible locations for the shelter through a committee. Katz said he supported Vatsky’s idea and suggested installing the shelter despite recommendations from township officials.
A review by police, public works, the Cedar Lane Management Group and Township Manager William Broughton recommended against a Chestnut Avenue shelter.
"In the streetscape there are actually no shelters slated in that plan that was approved by council,” Broughton said. “It wasn't planned into the design at all."
Broughton said he worked with other officials in conducting an objective review of the location and there was no usage data available from New Jersey Transit.
Katz said the bus shelter issue was linked to larger concerns about Teaneck commuters.
"We are one of the largest commenting communities in Bergen County,” Katz said. "Teaneck has, unfortunately, done very little for the commuter community."
In addition to installing three new shelters on Cedar Lane, New Jersey Transit also plans to replace aging shelters around town.
Senate Majority Leader Loretta Weinberg, who attended the council meeting, said there was no per-year limit on shelters doled out by the transit agency. Weinberg and Mayor Mohammed Hameeduddin are expected to meet to discuss the number of shelters requested for Teaneck.
Some of the locations slated for new shelters include Garrison Avenue at Cedar Lane, and along Teaneck Road.
Keith Kaplan
9:18 am on Wednesday, June 13, 2012
Where would it go exactly? Between Rocklins and the Bank?
Alan Pearlman
10:36 am on Wednesday, June 13, 2012
The concern for quote "beauty" unquote instead of convenience is an insult to Teaneck residents. The town is more concerned with trying to impress total strangers in a vain attempt to attract commerce than with meeting the needs of tax-paying residents. 1. seeing a bus shetler would NOT cause new shoppers to drive away in disgust as you fear. Instead, it might impress them enough to stop and shop in a town that cares about its residents. 2. the shelter would be used primarily from 6AM to 8:30 AM before out-of-town shoppers even arrive.
JamesTS
11:06 am on Wednesday, June 13, 2012
This seems like a simple problem with a simple solution. Build the shelter is residents want it and are signing petitions thenif there are problems just take it down. Why is that so hard that our Mayor and State Senator need to become involved? As for the overall amount of shleters yes every stop should have a shelter. Why make people wait in the rain?? Lets hope the new council can address these simple issues more efficiently to serve residents.
John Santaella
11:22 am on Wednesday, June 13, 2012
Oh, there's a bus shelter! Let's park there and shop in beautiful downtown Teaneck. Give me a break. People are encouraged to use mass transit and then they are supposed to wait in the rain for a bus?
Art Vatsky
1:27 pm on Wednesday, June 13, 2012
Placement of bus shelters should occur where it benefits the greatest number of transit users. Bus shelters are a critical part of our public transit system. Those of us who have waited for buses know how exposed one feels in bad weather.
Regarding aesthetics, these shelters are "see thru" so there is minimun obstruction. There are actually two such shelters at Town Hall and two more across Cedar Lane at Holy Name. That is four shelters at the intersection of Cedar Lane and Teaneck Road.
We have had two dead trees at the Plaza bracketing the bus stop for months. They should be replaced.
Bus shelters were planned for the Streetcape before construction began. Ask the architect, Mr. Statile. I thank Sen. Weinberg and now Councilman Katz for their advocacy on this issue.
JamesTS
1:43 pm on Wednesday, June 13, 2012
I agree... really why NOT have a shelter there? I agree with Katz statement: Teaneck is very unfriendly to commuters who mostly use the bus. We dont have a rail station like other towns and our commuters are treated as second class citizens in my opinion.
Jacob
2:31 pm on Wednesday, June 13, 2012
"Katz said he supported Vatsky’s idea and suggested installing the shelter despite recommendations from township officials."
Is election season starting up again?
Art Vatsky
5:32 pm on Wednesday, June 13, 2012
Jack: I am afraid I can't take credit for the idea of a bus shelter at Chestnut. It just seems to be the busiest eastbound busstop in the Streetscape which has had NO bus shelters anywhere since it was completed in 2006. Surprising omission, doncha' think?
At Chestnut, I see commuters, Cedar Lane employees and shoppers waiting for the buses that stop there, more than at other nearby locations. That is why I say the location is justified for a bus shelter "on its merits".