Lyndhurst NJ ,as the new Lyndhurst NJ Transit station nears completion, the planned closure of the Kingsland Station has sparked a heated debate among local residents and commuters. Set to close in May 2025, the Kingsland Station’s fate has been a focal point of recent public hearings, where many expressed concerns about the potential hardships its closure could impose on commuters.
The Proposal: Closing Kingsland Station
Lyndhurst currently hosts two NJ Transit stations: the existing Lyndhurst Station at Court and Stuyvesant Avenues, and the Kingsland Station located at 250 Ridge Road. With the construction of a new, modern transit hub at Court and Delafield Avenues, NJ Transit plans to close Kingsland Station once the new station is operational. This new station, which has been under construction since May 2021, will be adjacent to the existing Lyndhurst Station and will feature a platform compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and a significantly larger parking lot.
The Kingsland Station, in contrast, has a storied history dating back to 1918 but has seen better days. It was closed for at least 15 years and now requires extensive repairs. NJ Transit officials argue that retrofitting the station to meet ADA standards would be challenging and that the station’s small parking lot off Milton Avenue cannot be expanded. Given these factors, they see the closure as a practical step forward in modernizing the township’s transit infrastructure.
Community Concerns: The Impact on Pedestrians
Despite the logic behind NJ Transit’s proposal, many residents and commuters are worried about the impact this closure will have on those who rely on the Kingsland Station, particularly non-drivers and pedestrians. During public hearings held at Township Hall, several voiced their concerns, emphasizing that the plan fails to consider the needs of the area’s significant pedestrian population.
I love Wing Bikes. Use my referral link to get a discount now! http://wingbikes.refr.cc/jamesfoytlin?t=tw
Closing Kingsland Station would force pedestrians to walk an additional 0.8 miles northwest to the new station. For those without access to a car, the larger parking lot at the new station offers little consolation. Moreover, the new station does not have equivalent bus service to the NJ Transit Bus 76, which currently drops passengers near Kingsland Station at the intersection of Ridge Road and Milton Avenue. This gap in service could severely impact residents who rely on the bus to access the train.
The Importance of Transit Connections
David Peter Alan, chair of the Senior Citizens & Disabled Residents Transportation Advisory Committee, highlighted a crucial point during the hearings: “The Kingsland Station has a positive feature that the Lyndhurst Station lacks, no matter how new it might be: a connection to a major bus route. Many of those riders are non-motorists who don’t have access to a private vehicle, and are slated to lose their transit connections.”
This sentiment was echoed by Sally Jane Gellert, chairwoman of the Lackawanna Coalition, who argued that closing Kingsland would “make transit access to and from Ridge Road businesses and residences of the Kingsland area more difficult.” She emphasized that rather than improving accessibility, the closure would effectively reduce mobility for those who depend on the station.
Looking Ahead: A Call for Reconsideration
The debate over Kingsland Station also brings to mind past decisions by NJ Transit. Daniel Chazin of Teaneck pointed to a 2023 statistic presented by NJ Transit, which showed that the Kingsland Station serves 290 passengers daily, down from 583 boardings in 2017. He referenced a similar situation with the Great Notch station on the Montclair-Boonton Branch, which was spared closure after a trial period where it averaged at least 75 passengers a day. Chazin called for NJ Transit to consider a similar trial period for Kingsland Station before making a final decision.
As the new Lyndhurst Station nears completion, the future of Kingsland Station remains uncertain. The concerns raised during the public hearings highlight the need for NJ Transit to carefully weigh the benefits of modernization against the potential drawbacks for the community, especially for those who depend on accessible and convenient public transit options.
Hoffa Search Leads Back to the King of Con https://theridgewoodblog.net/hoffa-search-leads-back-to-the-king-of-con/#NJFilm,#NJFilmIndustry,#NJFilmProduction, #NJFilmmakers, #FilmedInNJ, #equitycrowdfunding,#Wefunder,#startupfunding, #venturecapital, #invest
