Five Routes Picked For Bergen Bus Rapid Transit

As we reported previously, Bergen County is studying the possibility of creating a Bus Rapid Transit system.  Officials have decided on five potential routes:

• Paterson to the George Washington Bridge Bus Terminal
• Montvale Park and Ride to the Port Authority Bus Terminal
• Garden State Plaza to the Port Authority Bus Terminal, via River Road
• Bergen Community College to the Secaucus Junction train station
• Englewood Hospital to the Secaucus Junction train station

A map of these proposed routes can be found here.

Although we applaud the idea for innovative new transit services, the Paterson to the GWB route is duplicative of the current NJT 171 as well as numerous jitneys servicing the corridor.  The Montvale route is duplicative of the Rockland Coaches Route 45 bus.  We don't see how these routes will provide a "Rapid" commute to New York without substantial improvements to the Port Authority Bus Terminal and express bus lanes to the GWB. 

The one interesting route is the proposed Garden State Plaza to the Port Authority via River Road.  This route would avoid the overcrowded XBL at the Lincoln Tunnel and could be a viable travel alternative if River Road can somehow be configured to truly create bus rapid transit.

70-170 Maple Ave (1971)

Public Service's Route 70-170 between Paterson and Ramsey.  A truncated version of this route still runs today between Paterson and Ridgewood as the NJT Route 746.

Maplewood Equipment Route 40 (1981). This is today's NJT Route 171 from the GW Bridge to Paterson