Dear Friend,

Hudson County Complete Streets wants to express our deep appreciation for the over 200 people – speakers, sponsors, advocates, journalists, volunteers and community members – who took time out of their weekend to discuss transportation in North Jersey.

From PATH service improvements to HBLR expansion, JFK bus rapid transit to first-and-last-mile connectivity, the message throughout the day was clear:

North Jersey is demanding a transportation system that works for the people who rely on it every day.

Transit Is Foundational to Our Communities

Transit Forum speakers came out to recognize and commit to real progress towards investing in public transit and away from auto-centricity.

• “I see a new dawn in New Jersey Transit. Commissioner Kolluri has great vision, and it’s heartening to know that we do have a true partner there. I'm looking forward to this BRT study getting moving.” - County Executive Craig Guy

• “If you took the train today, your ride was 20 times safer than being in a car. If you took the bus, it was 60 times safer. And if you take public transit for essential rides, you save more than $1,000 a month. And that's no small thing, particularly in today's economy.” - Assemblywoman Katie Brennan

• “We have to make sure that we're doing the best that we can for our families to make sure that they can afford to get to work every day.” - Congresswoman LaMonica McIver

• “[With] public transit, we have to take a regional approach. What's good for Bergen is good for Hudson as well. If I want to come into Hudson, I would love people to come to Bergen as well. So it is important for everybody in the region that we have this [light rail] affordable, fast, clean, efficient, and environmentally-friendly public transit option over everybody driving cars.” - Assemblywoman Shama Haider

• “There's an old saying, ‘Build it and they will come.’ Bayfront's being built and those are five, six, seven thousand units that are gonna happen. Without a light rail station, the already dangerously trafficked Route 440 will become almost impossible for people to travel on.” - Hudson County Commissioner Bill O’Dea

Transit Forum Speakers Elevated Our Movement

• Regarding the PATH improvements - “I thank you all for giving me about 5,000 signatures in my inbox for the PATH expansion. I appreciate that. But that public push was necessary. It was needed. This wouldn't have happened if people had just asked nicely.” - Mayor James Solomon

• Regarding overcoming resistance to the 14th Street Viaduct - “We took a deep dive into that and we found out that, yes, indeed, we can create a dedicated lane there. And we look forward to the production of that piece of the bike lane.” - Hudson County Executive Craig Guy

• Regarding the progress on JFK Bus Rapid Transit - “Traffic's not going to get easier, so it's time to adapt. This [JFK BRT] is our one true opportunity to make a transit system along the spine of Hudson County.” - Hudson County Deputy Director of Planning & Business Opportunity, Francesca Giarratana

…And Focused on What’s Coming Next

It was amazing to bring so many community leaders, elected officials, and decision-makers together to discuss what our collective goals should be.

We did this through our infrastructure tours

We did this through hosting amazing presentations

But none of this could happen without the support of our sponsors & volunteers!

Wrapping Up, But Never Slowing Down in Our Advocacy!

With so many contributions to this amazing event, we were hard pressed to keep this newsletter short, so thanks for sticking with us.

There’s so much more to do in 2026: canvassing for light rail, community outreach for JFK BRT, pursuit of further PATH improvements, learning lessons the World Cup will teach us, and amplifying our community partners’ projects.

We’ll be sure to tell you all about it, but that’s for another day.

Thank you for making the North Jersey Transit Forum such a success.

- Everyone at Hudson County Complete Streets