Any NJ Bumpies out there? (NTTCALR)

miakrita

This will have to be a P&R because I have to go get ready for a dinner tonight with some friends.  But I am wondering who my NJ ladies are for two reasons:

1) I am coming to live with you in May!  I wont be moving to NJ proper, but I'll be living 15 minutes from the NJ boarder....so look out!  

2) I am organizing a Sandy disaster relief trip to Edison, NJ.  I know nothing at all about the area, and the lady at the host organization is super busy and wont respond to my questions regarding trip details/logistics.  Maybe you can help? I'm mainly wondering whether it is easy to get around with public transport and whether it is generally safe in Atlantic, Bergen, Ocean and Monmouth counties?  One of the things the Edison based organization will want us to do is canvassing for survey/data collection purposes.  I don't know if we'll need cars for local transport and I certainly don't want to send my suburban students (I'm coming from middle of nowhere PA) out with clipboards if its not safe, etc.  Any thoughts?  TIA!

LunaBug924

I live in North Jersey, about 30 miles out of NYC . I can't say that I have a ton of information about public transportation since I don't live down in that area. And as far as general safety, it can vary from neighborhood to neighborhood. Most of the areas affected are suburban. There are some urban areas in Atlantic County, especially around Atlantic City. That probably doesn't answer your questions, but I hope it helps. Feel free to PM me if you want more specifics. I have friends who did some volunteering, so I can try to ask around. 

ball.and.chain

LunaBug924:

And as far as general safety, it can vary from neighborhood to neighborhood. 

This. You can't really say at the county level whether it is "safe" -- there are towns that are safer than others, and as LunaBug says, even neighborhoods within those towns that are safer than others.

I am not from NJ but my wife grew up in Monmouth County, and all of her family live in Monmouth or Ocean Counties now, so I have spent some time there.  I am no expert on the area but since you haven't had a lot of response I thought I'd add my 2 cents.  In the towns I've been to, I would not say public transit is a good option -- it is pretty spread out and suburban.  I would say every town I've been to has felt safe to me, but I have been told that there are some "bad" parts of Long Branch, in Monmouth County.

HTH!  Enjoy your trip.

smscartozzi

I just wanted to say welcome to the NJish area! I am about 1520 mins outside of Jersey, near Philly! Not many ladies from this area on the board! Sorry I have no advise for safety and transportation in NJ, but best of luck!

kneenah1231

I suggest you drive. As long as you have a pass to get into the disaster areas you should be ok. I am not 100% how jersey shore is now but a few months ago it was loaded with police and only residents were able to get in and out. Keep in mind parking isnt the greatest. Taking public transportation is difficult in this cold. Nothing is better then the comfort for your won transportation. Its easier to ask for directions driving then on public trans. One wrong bus will take you to a completely different town. 

MiaMyPuggle

I live in central NJ...15 mins from Edison. It depends on the location if its safe or not. My area is safe, but go 10 mins away and LOCK YOUR DOORS! You'll need a car. Public transport is good for north NJ, I'm talking train...bus system is ok in Edison area, I'm assuming...I never took it. I'm from the Poconos, so NJ isn't my specialty...I'm also used to the sticks, so my "safe" an others "safe" is probably different! Thanks for doing a good deed!

miakrita

Thank you all for your thoughtful posts!  I wasn't sure what type of responses I'd get, if any at all.  I feel much more comfortable now with my baseline knowledge of the area. 

I'm going to hit you all up on May ...  you've been forewarned. 

ellajune2012

Just saw this, but I'm in NJ as well - it looks like others answered your questions already, but my in-laws live in the Edison area, so if you have any other questions feel free to PM me. It's not really my favorite part of Jersey, but not because it's unsafe... just very congested traffic-wise and a lot of suburban sprawl. Public transport really depends on where you're going... the trains are good but only if you're going to NYC or into one of the towns along the line. Otherwise the buses aren't bad from what little I've ridden of them, but it obviously takes longer to get to where you're going than it would with a car. Check www.njtransit.com for more specific details.