Proposal seeks stops for Elm Street, Orange Road; Park Street, Valley Road and Watchung Avenue

The Montclair Traffic/Parking Advisory Committee will present a proposed Ordinance change to formally create bus stops on several township roads during the committee’s next meeting to be held on Wednesday, June 20, 7:00 p.m., at the Montclair Public Library, 50 South Fullerton Avenue, Montclair.

The ordinance change requires stops along Elm Street, Orange Road (between Llewellyn and the Orange border), Park Street (between Bloomfield Avenue and Watchung Avenue), Valley Road (between Watchung Avenue and Normal Avenue), and Watchung Avenue (between Park Street and Valley Road). The proposal will codify and provide signage for a more complete system of reasonably-spaced bus stops.

Residents on these streets and others interested in this issue are invited to provide comments regarding the ordinance change.

The Committee is making this proposal to address residents’ complaints about bus drivers not stopping for them consistently. NJ Transit officials have stated that stopping at an unmarked location is at the discretion of the driver – if there is no ordinance identifying the location as a bus stop and no signage indicating same, the driver does not have to stop if he/she feels it is unsafe.

The committee anticipates proposed changes will see another benefit by making transit service opportunities more visible throughout the community.

Additional bus stops are proposed along the NJ Transit 28 route which includes Park Street, Watchung Avenue and Valley Road and the 34 route which includes Orange Road (between Orange border and Elm Street) and Elm Street.

Below are listings by street with proposed stop locations.

A “near” side stop is one occurring before the intersecting street. A “far” side stop occurs just after the intersecting street; while at a “midblock” stop, there is either no intersecting street or the intersecting street is on the opposite side of the bus stop location.

Elm Street, Northbound

Elm Street, Southbound

Orange Road, Northbound

Orange Road, Southbound

Park Street, Northbound

Park Street, Southbound

Valley Road, Northbound

Valley Road, Southbound

Watchung Avenue, Eastbound

*Signage exists but the stop is not listed in the traffic ordinance.