UPDATE: Franklin Ave Bus Stop May be Saved; NJ Transit Agrees to Shorten Stop

UPDATE 6:30 p.m. –  NJ Transit has agreed to shorten the Boulevard and Franklin Avenue bus stop by 20 feet which resolves many of the issues and concerns regarding the stop therefore it is now believed this should prevent the stop from the possibility of being eliminated.

 “This change will allow the bus to stop safely and not impede on crosswalk, intersection or pedestrian safety,” Chief Michael Colaneri told Patch in a statement Wednesday afternoon.

Mayor Rose Heck confirmed the news and stated that the bus stop sign is scheduled to be moved Thursday morning.

The mayor stated,” thanks to the council, thanks to the people who came last night to cite their concerns and to the people who e-mailed me, we finally received some help.” She added that the borough is now working on getting on some extra help for Franklin Avenue from the county.

Tuesday night borough officials decided it would be best to study the situation further over the next month and therefore no decision was made during this public hearing. They had opted to continue the public hearing on June 28. Now Mayor Heck believes that the problem should be all resolved by the time that date arrives.

Mayor Heck said she and the Chief agreed to have him contact NJ Transit after the meeting Tuesday night and he was successful in getting them to agree to remove 20 feet of the bus stop. She said it appears that NJ Transit did not want the bus stop removed and the introduction of the ordinance helped them see how serious a situation the borough believed this was.

During the meeting Tuesday night, a number of residents spoke out against the elimination. They called the elimination of the stop an inconvenience to those who rely on public transportation in the neighborhood, and were concerned with the needs of area senior residents and those with health issues.

Borough officials were considering the elimination of the bus stop as a result of recommendation from the police department which has stated the area is more congested than other existing bus stops along the Boulevard route. The elimination of the Franklin stop would mean commuters in that area would have to catch a bus at Division about three blocks south or Central or Madison Avenues about three blocks north.

At the meeting Tuesday Chief Colaneri explained reasons for eliminating the stop which included making the area less congested, improving parking on the Boulevard and also on area side streets as many commuters take up spaces there as well.

He had explained that the Chamber of Commerce has been asking the municipality to remove the bus stop for more than a decade as a request for more parking. He added that the consideration is not due to any unique accident data or width of the roadway. 

June Raymond of Jefferson Avenue told the council that if this bus stop is eliminated she will no longer be able to travel by bus as her walking is limited due to health reasons. She also stated the senior building is right on Franklin Avenue and was concerned for those senior residents who may depend on the bus.  

Tony Walsh who lives at Division Avenue, where the next bus stop south of the Franklin one is located, believes that this area will now get more commuters parking on this road which he stated is already problematic. Chief Colaneri told him that officers are aware of the situation and are enforcing the no parking rule from 8 to 9 a.m. which is there to prevent commuters from parking on side streets.

Andrew Rusin and Manigeh Saadatian explained to the mayor and council what the elimination of the stop would mean to commuters like them. Currently they walk two-and-a-half blocks to take the bus from Franklin but they would need to walk about  six-and-a-half blocks as a result and weather conditions and other factors would deter people like them from wanting to travel to the city.

Rusin also stated that he believes the lack of a bus stop in the center of the business district would not be good for businesses and asked if another bus stop in the area could be put in place such as at Jefferson Avenue.

Chief Colaneri stated that a Jefferson stop would be  too close to the school at Corpus Christi. He stated that a bus stop was previously eliminated from Kipp Avenue which is where the school is located due to safety issues. The buses made it difficult for the school children to cross the street and they also interfered with funerals and weddings at the Corpus Christi Church.

Mayor Rose Heck told the audience that it’s a Solomon-like decision as they are trying to help one group for several reasons but the solution then causes an inconvenience for another. The borough has been  discussing the bus stop situation informally for some time and they met with NJ Transit last November to discuss options.  

The idea of bus drivers making ‘courtesy stops’ at Franklin or other areas of the Boulevard came into discussion however some of the residents stated that most drivers will not make such stops. Chief Colaneri explained to the council it is because the drivers could be held responsible if an accident were to occur because the bus stopped at an area not designated as an official stop.

Councilwoman Sonya Buckman stated that she too has some difficulty walking long distances and therefore could not imagine what it would be like to have to walk four or five blocks to a bus stop and agreed that more study must go into this before they make a decision.

Councilman David Gonzalez stated that  he used to take the bus into the city and felt that the bus made way too many stops which made him opt to drive and take the ferry instead however he agreed that he would feel more comfortable if they continue to look into it further to be sure there are no other alternatives before they move to eliminate the stop.

Councilman Russell Lipari told the audience he wears two hats in the situation in that he feels for the audience members who have concerns about the elimination but also is aware of the Boulevard merchants concerns who have cited lack of parking as a major issue. He too stated that more needs to be looked into before making a decision.

Editor's note: This article has been updated to clarify a comment from Mayor Rose Heck.