Bloomfield Mayor Raymond McCarthy, NJ Transit Executive Director Richard Sarles, and Essex County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo broke ground on Monday for an express bus service along Bloomfield Avenue between Bloomfield and Newark. The project will include new bus shelters and “traffic technology.”
The new service will link passengers and workers from residential areas of Bloomfield and Newark to commercial zones in downtown Newark. The route will be a one-ticket ride to Newark International Airport and a connection to other bus services in the ports of Newark and Elizabeth.
Funding for the project is provided by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, and is expected to create sixteen new jobs.
In other transit news, the Newark Trolley was launched on April 15th in an effort to attract visitors to Newark’s Ironbound District. The trolley, which is not actually a trolley but a bus painted to resemble one, is complimentary to patrons of Prudential Center events. The route loops around Market and Ferry Streets before returning to the Prudential Center.
The trolley will be run by Gray Line, and managed jointly by the Greater Newark Convention and Visitors Bureau, the Brick City Development Corporation, and the Ironbound Business Improvement District.
“Our county roads have a pivotal role in our transportation network, and I am pleased that NJ TRANSIT will be making improvements to another key corridor in Essex County” said DiVincenzo.
How about just filling the damn potholes on those pivotal county roads Joe? The condition of some of the county roads is horrific.
I think that this is a bunch of over hyped hogwash.
What exactly is this “traffic technology” that will help the State of New Jersey? All I can gather is that there will be express bus stops, comfortable weather proof shelters, and smart traffic management by using bus lanes.
Will buses be outfitted with traffic avoidance technology that is available on modern GPS equipment? Will this country ever catch up to Europe and implement real ITS technology?
The 2008 NJ Transit Annual Report described a similar service, the Go bus as a “premium local bus service – a small investment with big benefits. The enhanced service, which was designed for customers by customers, incorporated their feedback into every aspect of the service from bus shelters and unique color scheme to the brand name itself.”
So essentially, its a re-branding. Terrific. No new technology. Just some new shiny buses.
We need better mass transit…but don’t sell this as some sort of visionary new service.
A bus from Bloomfield to Newark Airport? I like that.
They should sync the lights like they do in NYC. Until then Blmfld Ave will be a total disaster.