In terms of connectivity it really is, but other than that the lack of trains and the fact that a lot of destinations are located off of highways means it's difficult to live without a car, at least in Bergen/Passaic counties which I'm most familiar with.

I wish there was as good public transit within NJ as there is to get people back and forth between NYC. It would go a long way with getting cars off the roads.

Then join us for the fight for better transit. The city can only do so much since the state runs everything besides the circulators.

Gotcha, that makes sense. It is pretty dumb that they didn't build a track so that the southbound trains north of Mt. Royal can go straight to Penn, seems like something pretty obvious. Granted I live just close enough that while walking is too far taking public transit is less efficient than a scooter.

Does it now? I know they used to run a light rail shuttle between Penn and Camden Yards that went directly to the station, but they stopped it during COVID. I know coming down from the north the closest stop is Mt. Royal which is a quick walk over.

The travel time north to NYC is hampered by the tunnel from NJ into NYC, since it's only two tracks in a very old tunnel that lacks maintenance. It's also shared with all the trains coming from NJ. The Hudson Tunnel project is addressing that issue by building a new tunnel with two additional tracks and rehabilitating the existing tunnel.

Southbound there is a new tunnel going in under Reservoir Hill that will replace the B&P tunnel which is also old and lacking maintenance but doesn't allow for higher speeds.

Overall the entire NEC corridor is getting some pretty major upgrades so in the next 10-20 years we should hopefully see decreased travel times between DC and NYC as well as increased frequency of trains.

I didn't downvote your initial comments, but sure I'll take credit. That station is served by multiple bus lines, including the free circulator and the a light rail a block away. It's accessible as is without a personal automobile that the rest of us have to accommodate. I personally use a scooter to get to Penn.

Anyway like I said, the surface lots in the city can be better utilized as folks on here know.

Agreed, that area should be a bigger residential/entertainment district extending up from Mt. Vernon. The Station area itself is super accessible and can really be a destination in it's own right.

The 5 cars that use it? There’s already a big parking garage right next to the station, that lot could be used much more productively and the city stands to gain from it being redeveloped.

I’ve used it but it’s not an accessible bike lane. To be honest it doesn’t really go anywhere which is the problem. If all of North had a dedicated bike lane it would be used much more often, or at the very least if it connected to the Mt Royal path. Apparently that is in the works though.

Sushi X in Rigdewood is my go to. But prices have gone up recently, so it’s close to $30 on weekend nights if I recall correctly.

There are groups in Baltimore like Bikemore and Strong Towns that have been working on this stuff. OP should reach out and get involved with like minded people.

And I love the JFX posts, but that will have to come in the next phase. We need better transit options to the city first. Advocate for the North/south line on york road, and for TODs at the light rail stops.

DM me. I have a friend who had an eviction, I can see if I can get a contact.

Mera is great but I believe the chef is Syrian. Not that it’s far off, Levantine food does tend to have a bit of similarity. But it’s also a bit of a fusion with other types of cuisines and not authentically Lebanese.

Byblos in Fed Hill is owned by a Lebanese family. The food is ok, but the owner is an artist and has all of his paintings in the wall in the restaurant. It’s a small space but one of those that has a homey feel.

They’re even on Discord, and are in a few servers! Props to them for their social media presence.

Shoot me a DM, I have an apartment here but might be traveling around that time.

Right on my friend, I do agree with a lot of your points - specifically headways and managing transfers. But that's why I think by reducing lanes, changing bus routes so that they don't get backed up by car traffic, and the real key you mentioned of reducing headways it would make it much more feasible. There are plenty of times I give up and take my car because I don't have to spend 2x-3x as much time taking the bus when I could do it in my car.

As for the parking garages, this is one of the few times I'd advocate jacking up prices - granted as long as it's easy to get into the city, to dissuade people from coming in. Hell the city could charge a flat tax on people parking which goes back into reinvestment.

Yes, and actually when I am in Manhattan I don't use the bus for similar reasons unless it's the unique case of trying to get across town if I'm not in the LES. Traffic prioritization is certainly a key, as is the frequency of buses here. I don't recall the headways for NYC MTA buses but I'm certain it's faster than the 15 minutes+ it can be around here.

You're absolutely right, and I think moving the JFX back would be a piecemeal process. For example by getting rid of some of these really ugly interchanges like at Druid Hill Park.

I do think though if budget is an issue taking away a lane on some of these two lane one ways for a bus is the quickest way to get people to start taking them, then they could be upgraded to light rail. The problem with buses now is the frequency and the number of stops. if they were some expresses that would take you across town it would make it much more reasonable to use. Even the light rail I feel suffers from this issue.

The lesson learned is there will always be cost overruns for any major infrastructure project, but they took money out of the budget for public transit to fund it. Boston's train and metro lines are falling apart because they used their budget for the Big Dig.

This might be naive, but 83 should be ripped out all the way up to Norther Parkway. Or at the very least converted to have bus lanes, at most one or two lanes, and remove the connections by Druid Hill Park. I'd also love it if it went under North instead of over, then the whole thing can be covered for anyone who wants to drive downtown.

If the light rail had more reach I'd even say turn one of the further stops up into a park and ride so cars don't need to go downtown.

lol West Baltimore too. The light rail is out of the way for me and doesn't really take me to any destinations I need to go. I'd love a line that could take me east...

They should get rid of it. Honestly I don’t even know why 70 extends past 695 to Leakin, that should just be a basic two lane road. Make it a smaller three way interchange where people can turn off and take 70 westbound from either direction.

About a week or so ago I decided to jog around the whole park. As the author says, it’s definitely not without its flaws and disrepair. But running along the wooded path in the north side of the park, it was amazing how quiet and serene it was despite being in the middle of the city. I really hope the projects being worked on will continue to make the park better, it’s a great community asset.