Dear Editor:
As Mayor of our city, I’d like to take this opportunity to speak about an initiative that my Administration proposed recently to reduce the amount of commuter traffic entering Hoboken during the morning rush hour.
Hoboken, as anyone who lives here knows, is situated between both the Holland and Lincoln Tunnels. Without a doubt, we are impacted greatly by these facts with reference to the amount of traffic entering our streets.
As shown in the Phase 1 of a Traffic Survey compiled by Boswell McClave Engineering for the Hoboken Parking Authority and the City of Hoboken, there are over 4,000 non-resident commuter vehicles entering Hoboken from the north on Park and Willow Avenues during the weekday rush hours between 7 a.m. and 9 a.m. This traffic has no reason to be on our streets other than to use our city as a pass-through route to either the Holland Tunnel, PATH, the Hoboken Train Terminal or the Newport financial district in Jersey City.
The Traffic Survey included several recommendations to improve the flow of traffic. The survey essentially demonstrated what I have been stating for some time — namely that the increase in traffic we are witnessing is caused by non-resident commuters using our streets as a shortcut.
During the past several weeks there has been an increased amount of construction activity near our southern border with Jersey City. This work includes the extension of the Light Rail Transit System, as well as work on several underground utilities in Jersey City. This has caused incredible traffic backups at our southern roadways, particularly Observer Highway and the streets that connect with it into Jersey City. These streets have often been closed by Jersey City with no warning to Hoboken. The City has had to take seven police officers off patrols and place them on traffic details at that area.
Last week I said enough is enough! Together with Hoboken’s resident police and traffic experts we developed a plan to divert non-resident commuter traffic off of our streets during the hours of 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. on weekdays.
The plan works as follows: First, we notify all non-resident commuters to find an alternate route to their destination without going through Hoboken. Next, upon entering Park and Willow Avenues from the north, residents, parents dropping of their children at schools, business employees, delivery trucks or anyone else with a legitimate reason to enter Hoboken, would be asked to bear left at 14th Street to enter our city streets. Buses would follow normal routes in and out of Hoboken. Non-resident commuters would be directed to the right hand lane and diverted by Hoboken police officers to proceed up the 14th Street Viaduct to go around Hoboken.
This is a simple plan which has the safety of our residents in mind, one that will stop the speeding cars in the morning that endanger our children on their way to school. It will allow our residents to get in their cars to go to work without becoming snarled in traffic on Observer Highway, while construction continues in Jersey City.
Unfortunately, our plan was temporarily halted by the State Attorney General and the Hudson County Prosecutor after they were lobbied and pressured to oppose our plan by certain elected officials. What was their reason for halting the plan? Officially they’ve said the plan is “unconstitutional.” I say “baloney!”
How “unconstitutional” is it for me to seek to protect our residents from the hazards of speeding traffic for a two hour time period during rush hour? Isn’t it just as “unconstitutional” as it is for other towns, such as Weehawken, Jersey City and Fort Lee to do the very same thing?
In the coming days and weeks, I plan to explore these questions from a legal standpoint. Hoboken deserves to have the ability, just like other cities in our state and in our nation, to regulate traffic within our own borders. After all, Hoboken is only a small city, one square mile, and it’s our town!
The media coverage of our plans only served to highlight the fact that Hoboken is inundated by non-resident commuter traffic. Due to the vast publicity, the very next day, there was a dramatic decrease in traffic. It flowed smoothly at both the northern and southern ends of town during the morning and evening rush hours. Quite simply, the plan works!
While many commuters on television were shown complaining about the inconvenience of having to find an alternative shortcut into Manhattan, many residents have thanked me for taking the lead on this important issue.
Again, we hope to begin diverting non-resident commuter traffic off of our streets just as soon as the political roadblocks are moved to the side. I ask for your support as we continue to work to find ways to meet the challenges we face when addressing the issues of parking and traffic in our community. Thank you.
Mayor Anthony Russo