NJ Transit plans fast bus service in South Jersey

NJ Transit's latest proposals for fast bus service between South Jersey and Philadelphia envision trips along Routes 42 and 55 and the Atlantic City Expressway that could save motorists from five to 10 minutes in typical rush-hour traffic.

But when traffic stalls because of accidents or bad weather, planners said, the buses could take advantage of dedicated lanes and stoplight overrides to keep moving when cars can't.

"The biggest issue is reliability," said Gary Davies, a transportation consultant for NJ Transit. Davies said the proposed "bus rapid transit" routes could make the 17-mile trip in about 30 minutes, compared with the current 40-minute car ride.

Davies and other NJ Transit consultants and officials presented four alternative plans Tuesday in an open house at Camden County College in Gloucester Township.

The plans would all get riders from Winslow Township to Camden and Philadelphia with varying levels of service and speed.

No cost estimates were presented, but officials have said the most complex alternatives could cost about $100 million. And a round-trip bus ticket could cost about $10.

The bus plans are proceeding as engineers continue to study the possibility of also building a $1.5 billion light-rail line between Glassboro and Camden.

Residents and commuters at the open house generally liked the idea of getting out of the current traffic on South Jersey's most congested roads.

Current bus service is often slow and unreliable, and during rush hours, drivers have to endure packed roads weaving through the dangerous interchange near Bellmawr where 42, I-295, and I-76 converge.

"I have to take the bus now, and if they could do this, it would be very helpful," said student Maria Diamatoukos, 22, of Collingswood, as she hurried to catch a bus from the campus Tuesday.

An engineering student, Anton Smirnov, 19, of Haddon Township, said his current daily commute requires a seven-minute PATCO train ride from Westmont to Lindenwold and a 30-minute bus trip from Lindenwold.

A fast bus service would be good, he said, "but I would prefer to see a rail system that would connect everything. I wish the U.S. could be more like Germany or Japan, with less cars and more trains."

Warren Strumpfer, a retired resident of Blackwood who frequently travels to Philadelphia, said he would like to have both the proposed rail line and the fast buses.

"I'd like to see something done as soon as possible," said Strumpfer, a member of the citizens advisory panel for the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission. "And I'd like to see more tolling to help pay for it."

Project manager R.J. Palladino said bus rapid transit "has a lot of the benefits of light rail with a lower cost and it's easier to implement."

He said planners expect to have the four alternatives analyzed by fall, with estimates of ridership and costs for a preferred alternative.

Planners are looking at building park-and-ride lots adjacent to all-weather bus stations at as many as nine locations, stretching from the current Avandale lot in Winslow Township to a proposed stop near Bellmawr.

If NJ Transit decides to proceed with the fast bus plans, construction is still years away, dependent partly on costs and the availability of federal funding, Palladino said.

The project's website is www.SouthJerseyTransit.com