Good afternoon everyone... I wanted to give an update on the meeting that was held on Monday evening, December 15. Much of the meeting was concentrated on the BRT (Bus Rapid Transportation). The idea behind the BRT is to help eliminate some local traffic along Route 110. It is not replacing the current bus system. It is meant as more of an Express type system with less stops. These stops would be to select business and shopping centers. Think, from the new East Farmingdale Train Station to a stop near the LIE. At the stops would be shuttles taking you into more of the business centers, like Estee Lauder, Nikon, etc. In conjunction with this system, there could be other things associated with it that will make the travel time less than with the regular bus system, such as, pre-paying for your ride and the stop rather than on the bus, a GPS type system advising when the next bus will arrive, a bus only lane on Route 110 (this would be in addition to what is existing, not taking a lane away), etc. It is something that the Town has received a grant for to investigate the feasibility of the system, the cost, ridership, etc. One thought is that people living near a train line, could take the train to the new station, and this new bus to work. Another thought is people during lunch time near a stop could take the bus (knowing where the bus is, and when it will be there), can instead of battling traffic on Route 110 during lunch time, can take the bus out to lunch. Part of the investigation would be to determine the ridership and if the value is there. Some questions arouse about the other aspects of revitalization, housing, parking, the train station, etc. The MTA has included the funding for the East Farmingdale Train Station in the budget for 2015-2019, so it looks like this could become a reality. As for anything else, the town has reiterated that there is nothing in the way of a plan. Many of the drawings provided in some of the towns literature was one person (an expert in community redevelopment such as this project) showing what can be done. The town has delayed the selection of a master builder, but the stated the community will be involved in the planning. They want the community behind the project and welcome the input. The town has said this will be an ongoing project and it could take 5-10 years before it is all completed. I hope this will answer some questions.
Posted on: Sat, 20 Dec 2014 20:50:16 +0000
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