Hudson County elected officials joined activists in calling for more frequent and improved PATH service at an Exchange Place rally last night, which came in light of Hudson County Complete Streets securing over 5,000 signatures for the cause.
By Daniel Ulloa/Hudson County View
Specific calls to action include more frequent off-peak service and a PATH extension to the Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR).
Hudson County Complete Streets campaign volunteer David Ciano explained that service is deplorable both on weeknights and through the entire weekend.
“It takes three different types of rail service to get to Newark airport … Time is one of the most precious commodities we have in life,” he said, also noting that commuting without a car should be a lot easier.
Strong Towns West Hudson volunteer Christopher Vasquez echoed that sentiment.
“We’re tired of waiting 20, 30, even 40 minutes for a PATH during off-peak hours and weekends. We’re tired of platforms sardined train cars,” he began.
” … With more than a quarter of our region without a car … the Harrison PATH station is our lifeline. But that lifeline feels frayed.”
Vasquez added that buses are also unreliable, while walking and biking can be dangerous.
He further stated that PATH service has actually gotten worse in recent memory, going from having a train run every 12 minutes to every 20 minutes even though ridership has increased greatly.
“Boo!” the crowd exclaimed.
When Vasquez said having two trains would restore service reliability, he received great applause.
“ … Transportation in New Jersey many ways in is broken. Every single opportunity the Port Authority has had to curtail service, they have taken advantage of it, whether it was 9/11 or whether it was Super Storm Sandy or whether it was Irene,” declared Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop, a Democratic candidate for governor.
“ It needs to operate as a subway system that links New York and New Jersey in a seamless sort of way. You have a partner in me … It is obviously something that I will lean into heavily if I’m fortunate enough to become the governor and certainly for the next seven months as mayor.”
He also highlighted the recent issues at Newark Airport recently, along with the short-lived NJ Transit strike.
“If we want working families … to be able rely on transit, transit has to reliably show up for them …We need to modernize and expand the mass transit offerings to meet the demands,” state Senator Raj Mukherji (D-32) exclaimed.
“5- to 10-minute waits on weekends should not be aspirational.:They should be expected!” he exclaimed to cheers.
Mukherji also stated that advocacy will go a long way here, noting that the Port Authority’s responses have began to shift.
State Senator Angela McKnight (D-31) received applause when she said she signed the petition, committing to get more signatures, and committing to being a partner in their fight.
Jersey City Ward E Councilman James Solomon, a candidate for mayor who include PATH service to Newark airport in his transportation plan, joked that collecting signatures was easy given the current set of circumstances.
“The current quality is unacceptable … It is a running joke on social media now … One day we can dream of weekend service direct on the 33rd Street line without stopping in Hoboken,” Solomon joked to applause.
Hoboken Mayor Ravi Bhalla, a candidate for state Assembly in the 32nd Legislative District, also liked the demand for more reliable service during the off-peak hours.
“Not everybody works 9 to 5 … What about people who work on the weekends? … The political will is not there,” further stating that the system must be equitable.
Tri-State Transportation Campaign Active Transportation Manager Cory Hannigan said he lives in Queens and joked that he would have thought twice about coming if the action was held on the weekend.
“Two trains are going to make a huge difference … The working families of Hoboken need this,” Hoboken Councilwoman-at-Large Emily Jabbour, a mayor candidate, declared.
Between 2010 and 2020, the county’s population surged 14.3 percent, nearly three times the statewide average of 5.3 percent, according to Hudson County Complete Streets, who canvassed PATH stations for 14 weeks to raise awareness and gather signatures.
In addition to broad community support, the Better PATH campaign has the support of the business community, including the Hudson County Chamber of Commerce, and more than 19 Hudson and Essex County elected officials.
That includes U.S. Rep. Rob Menendez Jr. (D-8), Assembly members Barbara McCann Stamato (D-31), Jessica Ramirez (D-32), John Allen (D-32), and the Hudson County Board of Commissioners.
