Dear Editor:
I am writing in response to “Friends of the Weehawken Waterfront” (FWW) who are clamoring for construction of an elevator to provide access from Boulevard East to our waterfront.
They complain that Mayor Turner and this administration rejected a suggestion by New Jersey Transit (NJT) that such an elevator be constructed. They are dead right. We rejected this idea out of hand.
If NJT were to provide such an elevator, they would demand heavy use to justify the cost. They told us they would advertise it and promote it to all commuters. It would be a 24-hour, seven-days-per-week operation.
That said, have Friends of the Weehawken Waterfront considered the result of an elevator on Boulevard East? It would have a serious negative impact on the quality of life, as it would become a “kiss and go” station, with a continuous stream of cars, buses, taxis and jitneys backing up traffic in a residential area, with the itinerant fumes and litter. We don’t need another “Lincoln Tunnel” on top of the cliffs.
While there will be ample parking for residents on the waterfront, despite what FWW says, a better alternative to an elevator would be a shuttle bus for Weehawken residents running along Boulevard East to and from the waterfront. This administration is committed to pursuing that possibility.
Debate is welcome, but I would like to see it “elevated” to a more truthful level.
James J. Terlizzi, Jr.
Councilman-At-Large