Political Pile-On at PATH Cuts Press Conference

While Governor Christie was away dealing with other crucial affairs, New Jerseyans weighed in on their seemingly unanimous disdain for the planned cuts to overnight PATH service.

In addition THIS LIST compiled Saturday night by hMAG.com…

–The New York Times ran a piece about riders’ reactions to the plans (NYT acknowledges Hoboken TWICE in one week?!?!)

–Bloomberg.com ran a similar story on how the cuts in service would impact residents who have cultivated their lives around the existing 24-hour mass transit system.

In a press conference held at the Grove Street PATH station, Hoboken Mayor Dawn Zimmer had this to say:

“The terrible idea to cut overnight PATH service needs to be publicly withdrawn from consideration immediately. Even the uncertainty that the Port Authority is not fully committed to 24/7 PATH service puts New Jersey at a competitive disadvantage versus our neighbors across the river who have 24/7 mass transit access within New York City. As a result, our State will lose jobs, economic growth will be undermined, and taxpayers will bear the burden of a significant loss of sales and income tax revenue.”

In addition to Mayor Zimmer, the following were in attendance at the press conference:

• U.S. Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ)
• U.S. Congressman Albio Sires (D-NJ8)
• N.J. Assembly Speaker Vincent Prieto (D-32)
• N.J. Senator Nicholas Sacco (D-32)
• N.J. Senator Sandra Cunningham (D-31)
• N.J. Senator Ronald Rice
• N.J. Assemblyman Carmelo Garcia
• N.J. Assemblyman Raj Mukerji
• Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop
• Newark Mayor Ras Baraka
• Harrison Mayor James Fife
• Weehawken Mayor Richard Turner
• Guttenberg Mayor Gerald Drasheff
• West New York Mayor Felix Roque
• Kearny Mayor Al Santos
• East Newark Mayor Joseph Smith
• Hudson County Executive Thomas DeGuise
• Hudson County Freeholder Anthony Romano
• Hoboken Councilwoman Beth Mason
• Ken McNamara, President of CWA Local 1037
• Ray Greaves, Chairman of the New Jersey Amalgamated Transit Union State Council
• Analilia Mejia, Director of NJ Working Families Alliance

State Senate President Stephen Sweeney is slated to meet with the Port Authority to discuss the moves in detail. “It’s important that we have a very thorough discussion on all the recommendations that have been put forward,” says Sweeney. “The PATH recommendation is not a good one. It’s a bad one. We created urban enterprise zones for mass transit. We need to focus on ensuring that the PATH stays with the service that it has.”

In the meantime, the following on-line petitions are gaining support:

-PROTECT PUBLIC TRANSIT (MoveOn.org)
-TELL GOV. CHRISTIE TO GUARANTEE PATH TRAIN OVERNIGHT SERVICE—NJ/NYC (Change.org)

(City of Hoboken photo)