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| Tenafly hearing on Bergen County light rail expansion draws capacity crowd opposed to project {Maps} (1135063) | |||
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Tenafly hearing on Bergen County light rail expansion draws capacity crowd opposed to project {Maps} |
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Posted by Gold_12TH on Thu Jan 26 15:32:08 2012, in response to [NIMBY] Tenafly, NJ mayor vows resistance to Hudson-Bergen Light Rail extenstion plan, posted by Gold_12TH on Tue Jan 24 17:06:31 2012. Police Chief Michael Bruno says he finally knows the meaning of the phrase, "We're getting railroaded."Bruno was one of many municipal officials and residents to voice opposition to the proposed extension of the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail line into Bergen County at a packed hearing Tuesday night. Plans were announced in December to extend the line, which currently terminates in North Bergen in Hudson County, into the eastern parts of Bergen County. The project, which is still in search of funding, has been a cause for celebration and concern for communities along the proposed route. NJ Transit held the first two of four hearings on the plan — which put forth two proposals, one that would terminate in Englewood and the other, "preferred" alternative that would end in Tenafly — right in the heart of opposition to the project. Tenafly residents, who made clear their opposition in a 2010 referendum, ticked off a litany of issues with the project, from its impacts on parking and traffic to public safety concerns and issues with how the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) — essentially NJ Transit's initial version of the expansion proposal — was prepared. Bruno expressed frustration with the process by which the DEIS was prepared, claiming that he was told his questions at previous hearings would be addressed, but that NJ Transit officials had not fulfilled their promise to work with municipal officials. He cited a number of issues acknowledged by the DEIS that aren't answered with clear mitigation strategies. For example, he said the DEIS makes clear that increased railroad crossings will effect the ability of emergency vehicles to move efficiently through town. "Anybody that lives on the east side of town is potentially looking at a delayed response from police cars, fire trucks and ambulances," Bruno said. "Who on Earth would find this an acceptable trade off for a ride to North Bergen?" NJ Transit representative Jeff Stiles told the crowd prior to Bruno's remarks that emergency vehicles could be equipped with devices that would allow them to communicate with train operators, and that first responders would be given priority at train crossings. Opponents in Tenafly argue that the project impacts their community negatively in ways that it doesn't in other towns. Most notably, they say the tracks would cut right through the town's business district, essentially bisecting the community, whereas in other towns the tracks run along the western edge. "It would not be good for Tenafly, we cannot support the preferred alternative," Tenafly Mayor Peter Rustin told NJ.com in an interview. "But we have no problem with it going to Rt. 4, which would be their second alternative." "It's not a matter of, 'We don't want it in our town,' it's not a matter of us being elitist," Rustin said. "This would really have a tremendously negative impact on our community." Warren Vincentz, a councilman in Ridgefield, which would be the first stop on the extended line, was one of the few voices in favor of the project at the Tenafly hearing. "I want to share with you that just as you have all these people out here tonight, all this support against it, we have twice as much in Ridgefield in support of it," Vincentz told the crowd. "Because we want the light rail." Vincentz urged opponents of the project to at least support the alternate route, which would terminate just south of Tenafly in Englewood. Two more hearings are scheduled for Thursday at 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. at the Crowne Plaza Englewood Hotel. John R. Durso, Jr., a spokesman for NJ Transit, told NJ.com he expected to hear more testimony in support of the project at the Englewood hearings. "We've found that opinions have varied throughout the routes," Durso said. "We've heard opinions here tonight in Tenafly that differ greatly from a number of communities throughout the entire corridor. But we're here to listen." Additional hearings scheduled: Two more hearings on the extension of the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail line will be held in Englewood at 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 26, at the Crowe Plaza Englewood Hotel, located at 401 S. Van Brunt Street. --- http://www.nj.com/bergen/index.ssf/2012/01/tenafly_hearing_on_bergen_county_light_rail_expansion_draws_capacity_crowd_opposed_to_project.html A map provided by NJ Transit shows the proposed course of the extension.    NJ Transit displayed two alternative plans. The "preferred" plan would extend to the northern end of Tenafly. The alternative would terminate in Englewood. |
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