Hudson County Commissioner Bill O’Dea (D-2), a Jersey City mayoral candidate, is pledging to fix PATH train service after another weekend with long delays: “We need real accountability and real solutions.”
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
“Enough is enough. Every few weeks, Jersey City residents are left in the lurch by PATH delays, service suspensions, or overcrowding that makes even standing on the platform feel unsafe,” O’Dea said in a statement.
“This is not just a transportation issue — it’s a public safety issue, a quality of life issue, and a development issue. We need real accountability and real solutions.”
O’Dea’s plan includes requiring PATH capacity studies and mitigation plans for all large-scale developments near PATH stations.
He also wants conditioning zoning variances, payment in lieu of taxes (PILOTs), and planning board approvals on developer commitments to help relieve transit pressure — whether through funding for shuttles, bike infrastructure, or PATH station improvements.
The former Ward B councilman would also seek to mandate Community Benefit Agreements (CBAs) that include PATH-specific commitments for major development deals, using federal infrastructure funding to demand better performance and investment from the Port Authority, and incorporating PATH service alerts into the Jersey City alert system.
Additionally, O’Dea says he will work with the governor’s office and state legislators to ensure that “New Jersey’s contributions to the Port Authority come with clear, enforceable benchmarks for PATH reliability and expansion.”
He also seeks to create a “last-mile” shuttle system for emergency action in partnership with NJ Transit or the city itself to provide direct, dependable access from Jersey City neighborhoods to Manhattan destinations.
Dan Israel, O’Dea’s Ward E council candidate — a ward that includes some of the city’s most PATH-dependent neighborhoods — applauded the plan and emphasized the urgency for action.
“Our residents rely on the PATH every single day, and right now, they’re being failed. Downtown Jersey City is booming with new development, but PATH service hasn’t kept pace,” he said.
“If we don’t demand smarter planning, enforce developer accountability, and push the Port Authority to deliver, our neighborhoods will continue to bear the brunt of this neglect. I’m proud to stand with Bill O’Dea on a plan that puts Jersey City riders first.”
Two other mayoral candidates have released transit plans: Ward E Councilman James Solomon, who wants the PATH to provide a direct stop to Newark Airport, and former Board of Education President Mussab Ali, who also called for greater weekend PATH service.
Problem ?
We don’t care.
We don’t have to.
We are the PATH
Politicians are great at demanding “accountability”, but what leverage do they have?
Organize a “no path day” so everyone can drive into NYC and pay congestion pricing? That’ll show the Port Authority.
Pass a resolution calling for path to “do better”? Wow, that’ll get things moving.
They have a virtually empty toolbox.