The results of a Glen Ridge transit survey, gauging the likes and dislikes of residents traveling by NJT rail to NYC, are in and there are a few surprises.
The survey was conducted online and coordinated by Mayor Deborah Mans and council member Steve Zimet. It will be shared with NJ Transit and was taken Jan. 6 to Feb. 20.
The survey was especially interested in what people thought about weekend travel to the city. But a glance at the current weekend schedule tells the tale because it lists departure times from Glen Ridge every other hour starting at 7:02 a.m. and ending at 9:02 p.m. That is eight trains on Saturday or Sunday. Coming in from the city, departures from Penn Station begin at 8:11 a.m. with trains leaving every other hour and ending at 1:19 a.m. That is nine trains.
About 1,000 residents started the survey and around 750 answered the dozen questions. There are some 8,500 or so residents in town.
In a telephone interview, Zimet, chairman of community affairs for the council, said the nearly 10 % of resident response was good and that the idea for a survey originated in Montclair. Glen Ridge and Bloomfield joined in, each having their own survey.
“We found that Glen Ridge residents were really interested in weekend train service,” Zimet said. “Also, that people end up going into neighboring towns to catch the train or they take their cars into the city.”
Eighty percent of the Glen Ridge respondents said they travel into New York City on the weekend, but more than half said public transportation is inadequate. The major complaint was the lack of train service directly to and from NYC.
If there was more service, 93 % indicated they would use it. Currently, there is a rail transfer at the Newark Broad Street station although the entire trip is a little over a half-hour.
Also currently, about half the respondents said they drive into New York on the weekends with one-fifth of these people saying they do this because it is just easier to go by car. As an obvious result of too few trains, nearly a third of the people complained trains were too crowded. There were also complaints of late or canceled trains and an interest in expanded bus service. Zimet noted that with the elimination of DeCamp bus routes, there has not been an operator filling in the gap.
Regarding the frequency of travel, 32% responding use the train into or from New York City at least four to seven days a week while 29 % do the same thing one to three days a week. A relatively sizable number of people, 28 %, use the train at least sometime during the month and 10% indicated they go into the city at least a few times a year. More than two-thirds of the respondents work in New York City for at least part of the week. Forty percent said they worked at home.
“I commuted into the city for 15 years as a regular commuter,” said Zimet, a lawyer. “Now I work from home.”
He said his daughter attends school in New York, a reason for his using NJ Transit rail service. But not necessarily from Glen Ridge.
“We often go to Brick Church,” he said.
On the weekends, most people said they travel into New York City for entertainment and to socialize. Perhaps a reflection of the preponderance of online shopping, only one-third of the people said they go to New York to shop. Somewhat surprising, zero percent of respondents said they commuted by NJ Transit rail into the city for school.
Most respondents — 54 %, indicated they walk to the train station or bus stop. The borough jitney service, at 17 %, came in a second favorite, several points more than being dropped off or driving and parking yourself. One percent took their bicycles; no one used a scooter.
Nearly a quarter of the respondents wanted more parking spaces to be made available for public transportation users. A quarter wanted bus service restored, but more than half either did not want to travel by bus or did not think more bus service was necessary.
“We are combining our surveys with Bloomfield and Montclair and sharing them with our state assembly members,” he said. “Directionally, there is a demand for more service. Ultimately, we’ll take it to NJT. There are also environmental benefits to more trains.”
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