The spotlight was on freight and goods movement issues on Oct. 7 at a two-part event hosted by the NJTPA as part of its development of Plan 2035, the federally required Regional Transportation Plan (RTP) for 13 northern and central New Jersey counties. The NJTPA heard from dozens of participants about the needs, challenges and opportunities connected to freight movement (see photos, page 3).
Former New Jersey Transportation Commissioner Jack Lettiere kicked off the discussion at a morning roundtable featuring representatives of a range of industries involved in goods movement in the region: trucking, rail freight, ocean transport, terminal operations, labor, development, warehousing and distribution, among others. In the afternoon, Lettiere presented the roundtable’s findings to a larger audience that included members of the public, agency representatives and others at a meeting of the NJTPA’s Freight Initiatives Committee (FIC).
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| Former New Jersey Transportation Commissioner Jack Lettiere addresses the Oct. 7 Freight Initiatives Committee meeting audience. |
Lettiere emphasized the importance of goods movement and transportation in general, noting that transportation and infrastructure allow “wealth creation” and can spur economic development and create jobs.
“Transportation is the game board upon which everything in this economy is played,” Lettiere said as he urged the private and public sectors to work together to make the improvements needed to keep the region moving.
FIC Chairman Peter S. Palmer, Somerset County Freeholder Director, noted that handling freight movement will become a bigger issue than ever as 2035 approaches. “With freight traffic in, out, and through our region expected to at least double in the not-too-distant future, the challenges we have in this region will only increase as well,” he said.
At both sessions, participants discussed the strengths of—and challenges to—the goods movement system in the region, as well as policies and investments needed to improve it.
The system’s strengths include its location in a densely populated, wealthy consumer market; extensive road and rail system and port facilities; and a strong urban labor market. Weaknesses include extensive infrastructure maintenance needs; the low height of the Bayonne Bridge; limited roadway access to the port; and conflicts between passenger and freight needs on rail lines.
The NJTPA will consider all the input as it finalizes the Plan 2035 draft. Two more roundtables are scheduled. The first, on Nov. 17, will focus on energy and climate change. The second, on Dec. 8, will look at workforce, housing and environmental justice issues.
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NJTPA Chairman Susan M. Zellman begins the Oct. 2 Sussex County workshop. |
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Somerset County "Visioning" workshop on Sept. 20. |
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Hudson County Executive Thomas DeGise speaks at the Sept. 23 workshop. |
In a series of workshops conducted by the NJTPA throughout northern and central New Jersey, citizens and officials have been discussing their vision for transportation and land use in their communities and the region.
The workshops are being held to gather input on Plan 2035, the latest update of the NJTPA’s federally required, long-range Regional Transportation Plan. All transportation projects in the region that receive federal funding must be included in the plan.
Workshops are being conducted in all jurisdictions represented on the NJTPA Board— 13 counties and two major cities (Jersey City and Newark).
The workshops are scheduled for completion by
early November.
At the Sussex County workshop on Oct. 2, about 30 participants discussed the county’s goals in terms of land use, transportation and open space preservation. They also expressed their preferences for future land use patterns and transportation investment through an interactive computer exercise and extensive discussion.
"In this time of high energy prices and economic uncertainty, planning for the future is more important than ever,” NJTPA Chairman and Sussex County Freeholder Susan Zellman said. “By telling us what they think, residents of the region can help steer billions of dollars in transportation investments over the next 25 years.”
Other topics discussed at the workshops included smart growth, walkable communities, transit-oriented development, and transportation funding.
At the Hudson County workshop on Sept. 23, Hudson County Executive and NJTPA Third-Vice Chairman Thomas DeGise told 30 participants, “Our light rail system, buses, trains and ferries have provided important travel alternatives. These and other components of our transportation network have served us well in the past, but now it’s time to look ahead.”
The NJTPA will consider all the comments gathered in its outreach process in developing the plan, scheduled for adoption in summer 2009.
Interested residents can still tell the NJTPA what they think about the region’s future by visiting www.njtpa.org. Click on the Plan 2035 logo to take an online survey, join an e-mail list, and leave comments on the Plan 2035 message board. Comments also can be left via voice mail at (800) 641-6079.
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NJTPA Freight Initiatives Committee (FIC) Chairman Peter S. Palmer, who also serves as the Somerset County Freeholder Director, makes a point while getting the afternoon program underway.
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The afternoon audience gets a recap of the morning freight roundtable session. |
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Former New Jersey Transportation Commissioner Jack Lettiere (right) speaks with FIC Chairman Palmer. |
Eyal Shapira, president of the Raritan Central Railway, shares his insights with freight industry colleagues and public sector officials in attendance. |
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| Transportation and economic consultant Anne Strauss-Wieder talks about the freight system’s strengths and weaknesses during the afternoon discussion. |
From left: Steve Merman, Union County; Rich Wisneski, NJ Transit; and George Ververides, Middlesex County, listen to suggestions from freight industry representatives. |
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Dozens of residents from Jersey City’s Lafayette neighborhood attended an open house meeting on Sept. 22 as part of the Jersey City Bus Study. The two-year study is co-sponsored by the NJTPA along with NJ Transit, Hudson County and Jersey City.
“Jersey City has one of the most comprehensive public transportation systems in the country, with the bus lines playing a vital role in that network,” said Mayor Jerramiah Healy, a member of the NJTPA Board of Trustees.
At the two-hour open house, held at the Monumental Baptist Church, about 50 residents were interviewed about their specific bus service needs and any problems they may experience. Many people, pointing to the cancellation of several buses by private carriers during the past year, came to voice concerns about fewer service options, longer travel times and having to make up to three connections to complete their trips.
The study team plans to put together a report with recommendations for bus service improvements in the spring, incorporating the results of the Sept. 22 open house interviews, two upcoming open houses and other data.
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The NJTPA and four other Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs) in the New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut metro area met in New York on Sept. 24. The meeting—aimed at discussing common interests, information sharing, and partnering—was held at the offices of the New York Metropolitan Transportation Council (NYMTC).
The executive directors of the five MPOs, including the NJTPA’s Mary K. Murphy, and top staff members were joined at the meeting by representatives from the U.S. Department of Transportation and the New York and Connecticut state departments of transportation.
Brigid Hynes-Cherin, Region II Administration for the Federal Transportation Administration was the event’s key speaker. Hynes-Cherin said it’s important to maintain cooperative efforts between transit operators and the states, in keeping with the requirements of federal transportation law. She also pointed to the need to review analytical capabilities to make sure they adequately reflect current trends. Hynes-Cherin also highlighted the importance, and the challenge, of incorporating climate change issues into the transportation planning process.
Regarding asset management and fiscal planning, Hynes-Cherin said, “It is becoming more and more important to maintain what you have before you build new.” She also said MPOs and partner agencies “need to be more creative in terms of thinking about what the private sector brings to the table.”
Officials plan to follow up on the five-MPO meeting with a conference call before the end of this year, in an effort to develop a shared agenda and to explore specifics about topic areas to pursue collaboratively, including modeling, data collection, policy issues, and other MPO project planning products.
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NJTPA Executive Director Mary K. Murphy (right) spoke Sept. 8 at the Women’s Transportation Seminar’s (WTS) New York City chapter quarterly dinner. The program drew about 50 transportation professional and others. Murphy and Joel Ettinger (left), of the New York Metropolitan Transportation Council, discussed regional transportation planning and coordination. Pictured at center is WTS Chapter President Jenny Kapelyan. |
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The NJTPA’s Director of Freight Planning, Ted Matthews, at the request of the Federal Highway Administration, participated in a freight and land use “peer exchange” program held in Atlanta in August. The event convened professionals with experience in particular freight issues to assist local governments responding to similar issues.
Included was a discussion of challenges being faced in the Atlanta metropolitan area in response to a significant growth in goods movement and related land use issues.
Matthews highlighted the NJTPA’s brownfields redevelopment work, as well as the dynamics of major warehousing and distribution development around the area of Turnpike Exit 8A in Middlesex County.
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Visit: www.njdeercrash.org |
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