The Port Authority bus terminal, located in Midtown, has been "stagnating as ridership has been rising" since the 1970s. Now a third of New Jersey commuters use the facility.
"The problems begin as soon as you walk in," writes Jim O'Grady. "There's no arrivals or departures boards for the buses. The information booth looks abandoned, and the signage is sparse and bewildering. There are mystery leaks, cell phone dead zones and harsh lighting."
"Rich Barone, transportation director of the Regional Plan Association Barone says the terminal is overtaxed with 7,500 buses competing each weekday for not enough gates. So the buses circle, clogging the streets while spewing pollution. And it's going to get worse: with the cancellation of the ARC Tunnel, which would have doubled train capacity under the Hudson River, the main way to get more commuters between New Jersey and Manhattan is by bus."
O'Grady's coverage also includes a few, more colorful, descriptions of the terminal, as well as the Governor Christie connection to the scuttled plans for a larger terminal. Also, the Port Authority is working on a master plan for the future of the terminal, due out this fall.
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