Dear Hoboken Decision Makers:
I have two questions/concerns about recent transportation related issues. First, about the bike share concept, parking stinks in urban environments, biking is a convenient healthy way to get around. I’m sure cost and contracts and other factors the public isn’t privy to come to play but it seems counter productive to offer a bike share program that is not CitiBike when our closest neighbors in NYC and more specifically Jersey City use CitiBike. For the huge number that work in Jersey City, go to school in Jersey City, have friends, dine in Jersey City, we’ve just made it impossible for all of those people to bike over and then forced to use our cars. For a 1 square mile town..we can walk, we don’t need a bike share. To take away one of the big advantages in a bike share program by not being consistent with our neighbors is so frustrating to so many. Separately, the new white poles on crosswalks…clearly message received don’t park here! But here’s the reality, parking here is really difficult many of us drive around in circles or park blocks away daily a choice in living here. But then there’s the other side, a side where we also look at how can we be flexible and community focused.
The mom with a newborn who wants to drop off her baby and spouse before parking 4 blocks away and walking in rain and subzero temps, or the family with 8 shopping bags who wants to drop off the groceries and then look for parking, for our elderly parents who come to visit to pull over and then we can go look for parking for them, for guests who actually are willing to drive to Hoboken with all the parking issues but want to drop off the tray of food they brought, we’ve now taken away a little convenience that made dealing with limited parking a bit easier for so many. Were the poles that necessary? And I’m hoping its simply rumor but I heard Muni-Meters will be placed on residential blocks like Bloomfield? These do not sound like community focused decisions. So many of us want to be here long-term but these little things become big things over time, small conveniences being taken away create big challenges. To the Hoboken decision makers, can you help us understand the thinking behind these programs?
Jen
20 year Hoboken Resident