Maplewood Mayor Reads Draft Resolution Asking Federal & State Officials to Ensure That NJ Transit Improves Service

MAPLEWOOD, NJ – During the Maplewood Township Committee meeting on July 2, Deputy Mayor Jamaine Cripe spoke about the NJ Transit meeting last week in which residents complained about delays and erratic service. They also made suggestions on how to remedy the situation. Cripe commented, “It affects people's ability to earn, and it's going to start affecting people's willingness to move into this town.”

Committee Member Victor De Luca noted, “When you do the emergency management training, they teach you how to deal with this stuff. It's not that hard. You have to be prepared. You have to be ready to intervene when there's a breakdown, and then you have to work on mitigation so that it doesn't continue.”

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Committee Member Dean Dafis commented, “There were some really good ideas from the commuters themselves, who are directly affected daily at this point and very regularly. I think our job as elected representatives is to keep pushing for contingency plans. We know that this situation is not going to get fixed overnight.”

Mayor Nancy Adams read a draft resolution that she and some others have been working on. Committee members approved moving forward and asking the township attorney to fine tune the resolution. Committee Member Deborah Engel abstained from the vote because she wanted to read the draft over before voting.

Adams said she’ll share the final version with other mayors on the Morris Essex line and ask them to also have their governing bodies prepare a similar resolution or use Maplewood’s resolution. “This is a resolution requesting state and federal representatives to improve New Jersey Transit and Amtrak services,” stated Adams.

She read the draft resolution:

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“WHEREAS, public transportation is a vital component of our community's infrastructure, providing essential services to thousands of residents daily; and

WHEREAS, New Jersey Transit plays a crucial role in the daily commutes and travel plans of our citizens, connecting them to employment, education, health care and recreational opportunities; and

WHEREAS, in June, there have been significant delays in service issues with New Jersey Transit services due to problems with overhead lines providing electrical power to both New Jersey Transit and Amtrak trains, and breakdowns of New Jersey Transit equipment, which have caused undue hardship, inconvenience and financial burden on passengers; and

WHEREAS, reliable and efficient public transportation is essential for the economic vitality, environmental sustainability and quality of life of our region; and

WHEREAS, quality of public transportation services will enhance the overall connectivity, reduce traffic congestion, lower emissions and promote greater use of public transit;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that we, the governing body of the township of Maplewood, respectfully request our state and federal representatives to take immediate and effective actions to improve services provided by New Jersey Transit and Amtrak, and call upon our representatives to develop reliable contingency plans that would provide sufficient on-call staffing equipment and supplies to respond quickly to problems with the overhead lines and New Jersey Transit equipment failures to provide passenger safety at Hoboken immediately review and assessment of immediate review and assessment of safety and efficiency of diverting thousands of rail passengers to Hoboken without any increase in completion of the PATH Trains and evaluation of alternatives in the Hoboken terminal, increased funding and oversight of spending, immediate use of infrastructure and other funding to increase track and train resiliency and advocate for increased state and federal funding dedicating dedicated to upgrading infrastructure, maintaining equipment and improving the overall quality of services provided by New Jersey Transit and Amtrak, making sure that they are directing funds to the critical issues that would most quickly improve service, to enhance accountability, implement stringent performance standards and accountability measures to ensure that New Jersey Transit and Amtrak deliver consistent, timely and reliable services. Invest in long term infrastructure projects, prioritizing investments in critical infrastructure projects, including but not limited to rail line upgrades, signal system and station renovations to enhance safety and efficiency and improve communication, ensure transparent and timely communication with passengers regarding delays service changes and improvements, and establish robust customer service systems to address concerns and feedback effectively.”

Adams reported, “Copies of this resolution will be sent to the governor of New Jersey, the New Jersey State Legislature, United States senators from New Jersey, all New Jersey members of the United States House of Representatives and the executive director and board of directors of New Jersey Transit, urging them to take swift and decisive action to address these pressing issues.”

She noted that the community is united in its commitment to advocating for better public transportation services because of its critical importance to residents’ collective well-being and future prosperity.

Resident Joan Crystal called in to ask the committee to add ADA (American Disability Act) compliancy to the resolution because the train station isn’t updated with ADA equipment.

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