Transportation in South Jersey: What We’ve Heard A Year Later 

Posted in All Southern NJ Counties, Camden City, IMPACT Blog, Transportation

Reading Time: 5 minutes

Authors: Mavis Asiedu-Frimpong, Devon Ziminski 

It’s been about a year since WRI released a transportation report synthesizing 10 years’ worth of data from our projects. The goal of the report was to shed light on public transportation access in South Jersey, the impact that a lack of public transportation has on individuals and communities in the region, and emerging trends aimed at increasing access. 

The report continues to resonate across communities across South Jersey – we’ve spoken about the findings with State agencies, regional transportation management associations and organizations, community providers, legislators, and others. The research is informing new and existing strategies, organizations are citing the report in grant applications for initiatives and programs aiming to address transportation access, and the Non Profit Development Center of Southern New Jersey has asked WRI to convene the region’s non-profit community and other stakeholders to discuss public transportation challenges and develop actionable recommendations. 

From the numerous discussions we have had in the last year about our research and regional transportation access, important themes, insights, and considerations came to the forefront:

Community feedback and insight in identifying solutions are critical. Increasing public transportation access in our region could seem like a large, intractable issue to comprehensively address. Further, we might think a particular transportation initiative isn’t working, but leaning into robust community engagement in fully understanding existing barriers and developing solutions may uncover subtle, simpler options and shifts that could have profound impact. This approach ensures that initiatives are tailored to best meet community needs. 

We heard stories of bus timetable adjustments that dramatically increased ridership and others who incorporated transportation as a key part of program operations – such as shuttling youth from school to a community center for after-school activities and bringing seniors to scheduled health appointments. Additionally, while availability and geographic location of public transportation infrastructure (e.g., bus and train stops/stations) are important, community perceptions of public transportation safety and reliability also matter in terms of people’s willingness to take public transportation. 

Along these lines, after releasing the initial region-wide transportation report, we embarked on phase II of our transportation-related research: to talk with community members about what was working well in each South Jersey county with respect to public transportation access and what recommendations they had for improvement. We started with Camden County, and we uncovered both high-level ideas and more specific recommendations around what would make a real difference to residents and commuters. What we’ve done and learned in Camden County from this recent project can serve as a template for similar inquiries in other South Jersey counties, recognizing both the interconnectedness of the region and the unique considerations of each county. 

Southern New Jersey’s most rural counties (e.g. Salem, Cumberland) present specific challenges. Many people and organizations we spoke with discussed the need for connectivity in our region’s rural counties and wondered about the applicability of emerging trends and initiatives to these areas. For example, Uber and Lyft vouchers are used to supplement existing transit options, but questions about whether enough drivers currently exist in less population dense areas and how to bolster the number of drivers through incentives came up. Others were excited about the prospect of microtransit (i.e. options that provide riders with on-demand transit services through both fixed and flexible routes and schedules) and wanted to better understand how an option similar to the Camden Loop might work in a more rural setting. 

Employment-based transportation infrastructure is a key identified need. Workforce development is a top priority across South Jersey, and our research and almost every conversation highlighted the ongoing desire for strategies that both connect people directly to employment opportunities, and support daily transit to those employment opportunities. Discussions focused on how such transportation options might be created or subsidized, and by whom. Additionally, community members highlighted that while distance itself was a key factor in applying and/or determining whether or not to take a job, access to public transportation and the cost of that transportation –  as well as if that cost was offset or not by their wages – were also key decision points.  

Other Strategies for Addressing Transportation Needs. In addition to conversations about increasing public transportation options across the region, discussions also emphasized other strategies that address transportation access. Various services can be brought to communities and neighborhoods where people already live–organizations highlighted multiple programs that bring food, vaccines, STI testing, and housing resources to community members (e.g. the Virtua Eat Well Mobile Grocery Store in Camden and Burlington Counties, the Hope One Mobile Unit in Burlington County, the Wellness on Wheels (WOW) Mobile in Cumberland County, the Cooper Center for Healing Mobile Health Unit in Camden County, John Brooks Recovery Center Mobile Outreach Vehicle in Atlantic County, etc.). Efforts are also emerging to (re)configure spaces and transit hubs themselves to house multiple services as a “one-stop shop” for individuals, reducing the need to travel to multiple places to address needs. 

Addressing transportation needs in our region is likely not a one size fits all solution. As solutions continue to be developed, the reception to our transportation research and the fruitful conversations we continue to have give us much consideration for supporting decision-making with research. We welcome new connections and ideas for additional transportation-related research and look forward to even more engagement on this key regional issue. 

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