Village Lobbying Leads to 'Great Resolution' on Train Station Renovation Problem

Advocates for the disabled were miffed at aspects of New Jersey Transit's renovation of the , but Councilman Paul Aronsohn reported last Wednesday night that those issues have been addressed after significant lobbying ont he village's part.

Despite hunkering down tens of millions in renovations for the Ridgewood Train Station to make it ADA-compliant, Ridgewood Community Access Network (CAN) couldn't believe that those in wheelchairs would have to take a train the other direction to Ramsey should the elevator break.

"The issue that had arisen is what if the elevators break? What's Plan B? The answer we were getting wasn't great. So we've asked them to go back and take another look and they came up with a great resolution," said Aronsohn, also the head of CAN.

"In those moments when there is a power failure or the elevator isn't working properly, they [NJT] will signal ahead and pull the train, switch tracks and drop people off on the west side of the track."

Aronsohn thanked Janet Fricke, Assistant to the Village Manager, for her work in helping bridge the gap. "She's been riding New Jersey Transit," he said, adding, "I don't mean the train–I mean New Jersey Transit–for the last three years."

Mayor Keith Killion lauded Fricke and Aronsohn for their "tenacity" and endurance. "New Jersey Transit is not an easy organization to deal with," the mayor said in thanking both.

The renovation still is set to be completed in October, Aronsohn said.