Name: Riders weigh in about their concerns, questions before returning to NJ Transit commutes
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Riders weigh in about their concerns, questions before returning to NJ Transit commutes

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NorthJersey.comView CommentsDealing with the mass in mass transit is going to be tricky as businesses and cities begin to reopen and commuters consider returning to buses and trains in the coming weeks and months.Riders reached out to NorthJersey.com and The Record with their traveling concerns they want answered beforehand — namely questions about cleaning, enforcing safety measures like social distancing and masks, and handling crowds at busy hubs like New York Penn Station.NJ Transit officials have said their plan is "being developed and will align with the state's recovery plan," according to an email from spokeswoman Nancy Snyder, who said they are coordinating with&nbsp;administration officials, the Department of Health&nbsp;and other peer agencies and task forces in the&nbsp;region about best practices moving forward.Some 50,000 people have also responded to surveys about travel patterns and ridership behaviors and another survey will be administered later this month, Snyder said. A was extended at the last board meeting to account for the pandemic, as well.Without a plan, however, questions remain about how returning to commuting will work, which has left people feeling uneasy about public transit.Some of New Jersey's straphangers are making adjustments to avoid the Hudson River commute altogether, and others will make long-term changes to continue working from home. Many more, though, are waiting for information about how to travel safely to their offices as businesses look to reopen, particularly with&nbsp;New York City's first phase of&nbsp;reopening set to begin June 8, according to Gov. Andrew Cuomo.Here are the questions and issues that are top-of-mind for commuters thinking about returning to their old traveling ways.Being on buses and trains is going to make everyone feel a little more on edge — and trying to ensure riders are adhering to the new&nbsp;public health norms of social distancing and wearing face masks is not going to be easy.Even as the stay-at-home order remained in effect and transit riders mainly consisted of essential workers, as NJ Transit tried to figure out where to add more buses to reduce crowding and how to make sure vehicles were not at more than 50% capacity.This led to difficult questions, which continue to linger, about . Plus, it's unclear if all of those rules will remain in place for the long term.Daniel Lee Gallegos, a hospital worker who travels to Brooklyn, said on Facebook, “I have noticed an increase in riders on my 165 bus and NY hasn’t even hit phase one yet of reopening, will NJ transit still keep the 50% rule?” He added that face mask signs are being taken down from buses and wondered if those were still required.Kim Geringer, who travels through&nbsp;the Port Authority Bus Terminal, from which NJ Transit buses operate, crowded lines waiting for buses has always been an issue.“At the Port Authority, the escalator going up to the 126 gate doesn’t operate. It is very narrow and people using it as a staircase are crammed together, as they also are at the top in the very tiny waiting area,” Geringer said.Shannon Ann Flynn raised questions about how to make sure seating is socially distant on trains and that people are wearing masks."Are train conductors going to make sure passengers are sitting socially distanced on the train at each train stop &amp; that everyone is wearing masks?," she asked on Twitter. "I still see online, overcrowded buses and nothing being done. It’s fine to have rules, but who’s enforcing it?!?!?"Jerome Johnson, who heads the union representing train conductors, said he is also unsure of how enforcement will take place as more people return to transit. Right now, he said, his members are instructed to call the dispatcher to call the police if issues arise on the train."I want to make sure that we're not the ones enforcing it," Johnson said.&nbsp;"I don't want any problems on the train that will escalate."Providing assurances that the vehicles people will be traveling in are clean and sanitized will likely be key to bringing riders back to transit.While the agency began using to sanitize vehicles in March — which NJ Transit officials said would continue —&nbsp;cleanliness was an , leaving some&nbsp;leery of returning to their trains and buses.“NJ Transit trains are filthy on a consistent basis, and I refuse to stand face to face with someone for two hours a day,” said Corey Kroll, who takes the North Jersey Coast Line to Penn Station from Metropark. “The world is a scary place right now, and mass transit has an opportunity to show people they care. Let’s see if that happens.”One commuter who takes the 158 bus voiced concerns specifically about how to handle cleaning fabric&nbsp;seats."No matter how much disinfectant they may spray, those are nasty and if there was ever a carrier for Covid - these are it," the rider wrote in an email. "Why NJ Transit doesn’t adopt the same seating as NY buses - plastic - easy to clean - is completely mind blowing to me."Throughout the pandemic, NJ Transit has posted pictures on its social media channels of people cleaning stations and vehicles, but that still hasn't inspired much confidence among riders who want more proof and transparency about the cleaning process.Mike Lewis, who said he is between jobs right now, said after years of taking the Pascack Valley Line to New York, he would think twice about relying on mass transit for his next paycheck."I always considered it dirty, overcrowded, uncomfortable before. I can picture it getting worse," Lewis wrote in an email.The already-overcrowded traveling epicenter of midtown Manhattan is a huge question mark — and deterrent —&nbsp;for some thinking about returning to work in New York City.Lindsey Stone said the station is one of the biggest reasons she is trying to get licensed in New Jersey to avoid New York Penn at all costs.“I’ve been a real estate agent in NYC for 10 years and I’m terrified of commuting on the NJ transit trains,” Stone said on Facebook. “I’m working to get licensed in NJ ASAP as I don’t feel comfortable running through Penn Station daily.”The Amtrak-owned station's daily foot traffic is more than three times the capacity it was designed to hold, which means a that makes&nbsp;flow through the station difficult and&nbsp;crowding typical. to design ways to reconstruct parts of the station, and&nbsp;Cuomo hopes that as people are slow to return to their commutes, the construction can be accelerated there.But in the meantime, there has been no indication about how to socially distance&nbsp;at the cramped station, where mosh pits of waiting commuters were typical scenes when transit hiccups caused delays or cancellations.Colleen Wilson covers the Port Authority and NJ Transit for NorthJersey.com. For unlimited access to her work covering the region’s transportation systems and how they affect your commute,&nbsp;.&nbsp;Email:&nbsp;&nbsp;Twitter:&nbsp;&nbsp;View Comments

NorthJersey.comView CommentsDealing with the mass in mass transit is going to be tricky as businesses and cities begin to reopen and commuters consider returning to buses and trains in the coming weeks and months.Riders reached out to NorthJersey.com and The Record with their traveling concerns they want answered beforehand — namely questions about cleaning, enforcing safety measures like social distancing and masks, and handling crowds at busy hubs like New York Penn Station.NJ Transit officials have said their plan is "being developed and will align with the state's recovery plan,"...

Riders weigh in about their concerns, questions before returning to NJ Transit commutes

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