photo by Boyd Loving
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, The construction of additional parking spaces has begun at the Ridgewood train station.
Update on train station parking lot construction, work to begin 4/8/19
The train station parking lot construction will begin on April 8, 2019, for the next 3-4 months for renovation and addition of 35 parking spaces.
Continue reading Construction Starts at Ridgewood Train Station
What are we supposed to do? The lot is typically full before 6:45 am. Residents are just getting kicked around. Some of us have to get to work by train and have no option other to drive and park at the station.
Why didn’t the village preplan this and not issue non resident stickers to reduce the number of cars? There are ways to plan things. Really poor leadership, planning, and just a slap to commuters already stressed by a tough train ride
Unacceptable leadership we need a solution
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, after a bit of confusion the Village Manager
Heather A. Mailander has updated yesterday’s E-Notice on the train station parking lot construction, please be aware of the following:
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, All 14 Assistant Conductors that enrolled in NJ TRANSIT’S pilot conductor-to-engineer training program have successfully completed classroom instruction and testing. The first class of its kind at NJ TRANSIT, 100% of the Assistant Conductors will be moving onto phase two to begin on-the-job training in the field.
“This class of Assistant Conductors did an incredible job of learning an immense amount of material,’’ said NJ TRANSIT Executive Director Kevin Corbett. “The hard work and dedication this class has shown is evident by their impressive success rate. I wish them well on the second phase of their training and look forward to having them operating their own trains in revenue service before the end of this year.”
Continue reading NJ Transit Announces 100% PASS RATE FOR FIRST PHASE OF PILOT LOCOMOTIVE ENGINEER TRAINING PROGRAM
photos courtesy of Bill
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, the Village of Ridgewood has removed several shade trees c along the Ridgewood Train station .
The Ridgewood Train station is a major New Jersey Transit rail station hub. It is located in downtown Ridgewood in the Central Business . It is served by the NJT Main Line as well as the Bergen County Line. Ridgewood is one of two transfer options presented at the time of ticket purchase (Secaucus Junction is the other) and is widely used for that purpose.
Continue reading Shade Trees Come Down Along the Ridgewood Train Station
Gottheimer, King Announce Bill Demanding “Doomsday Plan” For Tunnel Failure
What Do We Do When the Train Tunnels Fail and We Can’t Get In or Out of New York City?
Ridgewood NJ, Congressmen Josh Gottheimer (NJ-05) and Peter King (NY-02) announced their new bill to demand an economic estimate and contingency plan for the “Doomsday” scenario where one of the two North River Tunnels must be shut down beneath the Hudson River.
The North River Tunnels carry 200,000 travelers daily and are crumbling after damage from over 100 years of use and flooding during Superstorm Sandy. On Tuesday, the Regional Plan Association released “A Preventable Crisis,” a report outlining the catastrophic economic consequences of a tunnel being shut down.
Continue reading “Doomsday Plan” For Hudson Tunnel Failure
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, NJ TRANSIT, with support from Amtrak, has completed an early action construction contract that included five major construction elements for the Portal North Bridge Replacement Program. This contract broke ground in October 2017 and these construction elements were completed earlier this month – on time and on budget.
This NJ TRANSIT-sponsored and managed project was accomplished with the cooperation and support of the Gateway Program Development Corporation (GDC) and our Federal partners. This milestone also demonstrates the ongoing commitment by the regional partner agencies to deliver a cost-effective program in a timely manner.
Continue reading PORTAL NORTH BRIDGE CONSTRUCTION PROJECT MAKES HEADWAY
” Finally, how great! The state of NJ has been doing everything possible to chase tax payers out of the state and make our lives difficult. Now, finally, something is being done to make our lives better. Our home values will rise, it will be easier to get to Jersey City, Hudson yards, and the ferries where so many jobs are being created, to Manhattan for work or pleasure, and Hoboken for work or pleasure.
With our high taxes and traffic we suffer with, our elected officials must do every thing possible to keep the hard working tax payers from fleeing the state. Thank you so much for the new light rail. “
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
TRENTON NJ, New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) officials today issued a Winter Weather Congestion Alert and are implementing the Department’s Business Day Protocol for Wednesday, February 20, based on the forecast for expected snow and freezing rain beginning tomorrow morning and continuing throughout the day, which may result in difficult driving conditions, particularly during the Wednesday evening commute.
The Department is advising motorists to plan ahead and to consider curtailing travel tomorrow if possible. Snow is expected to begin tomorrow morning in South Jersey and move north. It is expected to intensify in the afternoon and at some point it is expected to turn to freezing rain, which may cause difficult driving conditions.
NJDOT will be deploying the necessary resources in advance of the storm and is coordinating its response with NJ Transit and the toll road authorities to ensure the best response for New Jerseyans.
Continue reading NJDOT advising motorists to plan ahead for Wednesday’s storm
The problem is that we have too many short term residents. People are able to get elected because they have friends and contacts they make due to their young children in school . Where else could a short term resident like aronson or zuzsy get elected?
Many towns with a more stable population (instead of NYC people who live here for a 10 year term) would never elect some new resident to an important position. I am surprised that a long term resident such as hauck would go along with the apartment deals, but I guess she was close enough to aronson that he could literally whisper in her ear to convince her to go along with making this “east Montclair ”
I can tell you that as a life long resident who has the best interests of the village at heart, I would never get elected because the new residents are a larger voting block. Hence the decline of what we expect for the character of our village.
And if elected I doubt I could sit up there and put up with the general public or nasty anonymous online comments.
A real solution with be for all property taxes to reflect the purchase price of the home . This is done in florida. It protects the long time residents From tax increases that benefit the new people who push their agenda. Let them pay for their own schools and parking garages
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, NJ TRANSIT’s Board of Directors today approved Raymond P. Kenny as Senior Vice President and General Manager of Rail Operations at today’s special Board of Director’s meeting.
“Ray is a national expert in the railroad industry and his knowledge of the complexities of the rail system in our region is unmatched,” said New Jersey Department of Transportation Commissioner and NJ TRANSIT Chair Diane Gutierrez-Scaccetti. “His leadership and management skills will be invaluable as we move NJ TRANSIT forward.”
“Ray has a long and accomplished railroad career and we look forward to tapping his wealth of industry knowledge as we continue to transform NJ TRANSIT into a national leader,” said Executive Director Kevin Corbett. “Ray understands railroading from every angle, having started as a ticket clerk at LIRR and rising through the ranks to eventually lead LIRR as the busiest railroad in the country.”
Kenny has nearly 50 years of railroad industry experience including serving as former acting President of the MTA Long Island Railroad (LIRR). He has an extensive background in managing large teams in both transportation operations and capital improvements.
Most recently, Kenny has served with WSP as a consultant for operations and planning for agencies across the nation including the Gateway project, the Northeast Corridor Future project, business processes at Metro-North and emergency management plans at Metrolink in Los Angeles.
He began his transportation career in 1970 as a ticket clerk at LIRR. In 1975, he entered railroad dispatching for LIRR before rising through the ranks at LIRR with positions in personnel training and capital construction prior to leading the Transportation department.
Prior to NJ TRANSIT, Kenny served with WSP as a consultant where his experience included helping to improve Metro-North’s business processes including train crew availability, assisting Metrolink in Los Angeles with emergency management plans, a subject matter expert on the NEC Future project, which is a comprehensive planning effort to define, evaluate and prioritize future investments in the NEC, a subject matter expert for the Gateway project in the design of a new Penn Station New York and staging of train operations to facilitate construction. Most recently, Kenny was assigned to the Hartford, CT rail project as a commissioning agent, ensuring project schedule compliance on the start of a new rail line.
from the Village Manager Heather Mailander
Ridgewood NJ, The 2019 Annual Commuter (Ridgewood Parking Permits – RPP) are currently for sale at the Reception Desk in the lobby of Village Hall, Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., except holidays. All applicants must bring their driver’s license and vehicle registration(s) for car(s) they wish to list on their permits, as the RPPs allow up to 3 cars on each hang tag. The RPPs allow commuters to park in designated Ridgewood parking lots without having to pay the parking meters. The following is a summary of the Ridgewood Parking Permits (RPPs) and their prices:
Premium RPP – $1,300 annual fee – ALMOST SOLD OUT – A maximum of 155 Premium RPPs will be sold, on a first come, first served basis. There are only 33 Premium RPPs left to be sold – This permit allows Ridgewood residents to park in the Train Station lot, Prospect Street lot, and all Ridgewood lots, including Route 17 Park and Ride lot. A Premium RPP may not be used in the Hudson lot.
Hudson Lot Permit – $1,300 annual fee – allows Ridgewood residents to park in the Hudson parking lot only, with a guaranteed parking space. When the Hudson parking lot is closed, due to the construction of the parking garage, those residents with a Hudson parking lot permit will participate in a ride share program, through December 31, 2019. Residents who purchase Hudson parking lot permits must purchase a premium Ridgewood parking permit at the end of 2019 in order to continue to participate in the ride share program until the parking garage opens in 2020. Hudson Lot permit holders may use their permits in any lot on Saturdays.
Non-Premium RPP – $975 annual fee – allows Ridgewood residents to park in Chestnut Street lot, North Walnut Street lot, Cottage Place lot, and Route 17 Park and Ride lot.
Park and Ride RPP – $975 annual fee – this price is for both Ridgewood residents and
non-residents, and allows parking in the Route 17 Park and Ride lot.
Non-resident RPP in Central Business District – $1,950 annual fee – allows non-residents to park in the Cottage Place lot.
Ridgewood Resident Commuter Sticker – Free – All Ridgewood resident commuters who wish to park at the train station must bring in their driver’s license and vehicle registration(s) to obtain a free Ridgewood Resident Commuter sticker. Free Ridgewood Resident Commuter stickers will also be issued to all Ridgewood residents purchasing RPPs and the Hudson Lot permit.
The Village will accept checks, cash, or credit cards (with a 3% transaction fee to the user) for payment.
There are also Central Business District (CBD) Employee stickers and hang tags that may be purchased by those who work in the CBD and allows parking at designated meters in the North Walnut Street and Cottage Place lots.
For more information, please visit our website: www.ridgewoodnj.net.
The cost of parking at the train station for residents is now 11.00 a day, 55 a week, 220 a month. That is not the cost of an annual parking pass just what you pay now as a resident. Almost double other towns. Also almost impossible for a resident to get a spot after 7am as out of town permits are also sold with no preference for residents. Traffic in the area is just awful getting in and out of the station with no easy pickup or discharge
Finally no overnight parking so god forbid you work at night or decide to stay in NYC for the night.
The change in Secaucus to get to midtown is ridiculous. RW has lost its role as a easy commuter station. Residents are neglected, trains are unreliable, the buses are problematic, parking is expensive, and village/school/ state taxes are a mess. Does anyone see this getting better or plans to address.
Where to go? Great question. But with kids out of schools, 35k in taxes, terrible and expense commute, 110k school budget with declining rankings and property values declining maybe the question is how soon to go ?
When many of my neighbors can appeal their taxes every year due to declining values is that a good indicator of our future values?
Ridgewood and other suburbs survive due to their proximity to a major city. Without that income coming back those suburds quickly wither.
RW has done everything it can to force Wall Street and other high paying commuters to find a different town. From ridiculous parking fees and non availability for residents to awful traffic congestion when a train comes in. Does anyone believe that this town survives without NYC workers living here ?
Come spring we are out. We will avoid large NJ state taxes, a expensive commute that just keeps getting worse, and gain back some time.
Do the math. 40k in property taxes, 2500 annual to park, 7-11% state income tax, and almost 4000 annual for NJ transit
Good luck as you lose more NYC workers
“Unless you work in Hoboken, the Exchange Place area of Jersey City, or lower Manhattan (near World Trade), the commute to NYC from Ridgewood is horrendous, time consuming, and undependable. Northern NJ communities served by NJ Transit’s Midtown Direct Service are becoming increasing more appealing to home buyers, as evidenced by the skyrocketing prices of homes and bidding wars taking place in Montclair, Glen Ridge, Chatham, Millburn, Summit, etc.”
