Improve the Commute of Rutgers-New Brunswick Students
The Issue
Every day, students at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, NJ, spend a significant amount of their time waiting for a bus only for it to be packed, standing shoulder to shoulder while stuck in gridlock. This has led to students being unable to make it to class, to exams, and generally get around on time.
However, Rutgers' bus problem is actually a symptom of a bigger design flaw. The two campuses built after WW2 were designed like suburban office parks that have buildings spread out, and a large amount of space dedicated to surface parking lots. This means the campus doesn't have everything within a walkable distance of 1-2 major transit hubs. Furthermore, the current class schedule has large lecture halls dismissing at the same time, leading to instant crush loads on the bus system.
We call on the university to take action on improving the daily commute of students with a combination of immediate changes and long-term goals.
Immediate Actions
1) Bring back the staggered class schedule. It could either be different class times on the same campus or across the 5 campuses. The goal here is to balance out the travel demand to avoid instant need for travel at the same time, which crushes the bus system today (See below).
2) Redesign the bus routes. Currently, buses spend a significant amount of time winding through the campus itself. The redesigned bus routes should have two categories: Express buses will shuttle students between campuses and only stop at the major transit hubs on each end. Inner campus circulators will loop inside each campus. While Rutgers University has brought it up themselves in the 2030 master plan, no implementation has been seen.
3) Bus Lanes and Protected Bike Lanes. While there is a bus lane on College Avenue, it isn't even used by buses today. Buses still end up stuck in traffic on College Avenue. Furthermore, there are many other choke points on the bus system, like George St and Route 18, that buses constantly get stuck on, leading to bus bunching and delays, which eventually causes more crowding. Bus lanes should be implemented on George St and Route 18. Furthermore, College Avenue should become a bus-only corridor (emergency vehicles allowed, obviously, and vehicles accessing local streets can travel short blocks).
On the bike network end, there is a protected bike lane on College Avenue, but it doesn't connect to many places. It is one block short of the New Brunswick train station to the south, and dumps you into high-speed Route 18 off-ramp traffic to the north. Other bike lanes do exist, but from what I know, they are all just paint on the road, with no protection. A robust bike network should be fully connected and protected. Bikes, e-bikes, and scooters have the potential to replace many inner-campus trips, or even cross-campus trips if it is safe and convenient. There should also be an affordable bike/scooter share system for students.
4) Pedestrianization of places across campus. This will make these places more walkable and bike-friendly, further enhancing micro mobility.
Long Term Changes
1) Implementation of transportation and land use improvements from the 2030 master plan. Including a new bike and pedestrian bridge across the Raritan River, a bike and bus bridge between Busch and Livingston, infill developments on each campus, especially on Busch and Livingston, where surface parking lots can be used for infills (replace with garages on the outer edge if needed). This will make these campuses more compact and dense, which makes them more walkable.
2) Consideration of proposed BRT and Light Rail system from the Greater New Brunswick Transportation Study (connects more than the Rutgers campuses, instead the entire region around New Brunswick).
To conclude, what this petition is asking for is not just simply "run more buses" or "make the bus system better", but a comprehensive look at the bigger picture. With a combination of school policy, transportation, and land use changes, it will make the bus system truly work in the long term.
If you are sick and tired of the current bus commute, I'm calling you to sign this petition, so the university can hear us and make changes that really make a difference!
I made a full video explaining the fundamental problem of Rutgers' transportation problem, and detailed the solutions.
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The Issue
Every day, students at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, NJ, spend a significant amount of their time waiting for a bus only for it to be packed, standing shoulder to shoulder while stuck in gridlock. This has led to students being unable to make it to class, to exams, and generally get around on time.
However, Rutgers' bus problem is actually a symptom of a bigger design flaw. The two campuses built after WW2 were designed like suburban office parks that have buildings spread out, and a large amount of space dedicated to surface parking lots. This means the campus doesn't have everything within a walkable distance of 1-2 major transit hubs. Furthermore, the current class schedule has large lecture halls dismissing at the same time, leading to instant crush loads on the bus system.
We call on the university to take action on improving the daily commute of students with a combination of immediate changes and long-term goals.
Immediate Actions
1) Bring back the staggered class schedule. It could either be different class times on the same campus or across the 5 campuses. The goal here is to balance out the travel demand to avoid instant need for travel at the same time, which crushes the bus system today (See below).
2) Redesign the bus routes. Currently, buses spend a significant amount of time winding through the campus itself. The redesigned bus routes should have two categories: Express buses will shuttle students between campuses and only stop at the major transit hubs on each end. Inner campus circulators will loop inside each campus. While Rutgers University has brought it up themselves in the 2030 master plan, no implementation has been seen.
3) Bus Lanes and Protected Bike Lanes. While there is a bus lane on College Avenue, it isn't even used by buses today. Buses still end up stuck in traffic on College Avenue. Furthermore, there are many other choke points on the bus system, like George St and Route 18, that buses constantly get stuck on, leading to bus bunching and delays, which eventually causes more crowding. Bus lanes should be implemented on George St and Route 18. Furthermore, College Avenue should become a bus-only corridor (emergency vehicles allowed, obviously, and vehicles accessing local streets can travel short blocks).
On the bike network end, there is a protected bike lane on College Avenue, but it doesn't connect to many places. It is one block short of the New Brunswick train station to the south, and dumps you into high-speed Route 18 off-ramp traffic to the north. Other bike lanes do exist, but from what I know, they are all just paint on the road, with no protection. A robust bike network should be fully connected and protected. Bikes, e-bikes, and scooters have the potential to replace many inner-campus trips, or even cross-campus trips if it is safe and convenient. There should also be an affordable bike/scooter share system for students.
4) Pedestrianization of places across campus. This will make these places more walkable and bike-friendly, further enhancing micro mobility.
Long Term Changes
1) Implementation of transportation and land use improvements from the 2030 master plan. Including a new bike and pedestrian bridge across the Raritan River, a bike and bus bridge between Busch and Livingston, infill developments on each campus, especially on Busch and Livingston, where surface parking lots can be used for infills (replace with garages on the outer edge if needed). This will make these campuses more compact and dense, which makes them more walkable.
2) Consideration of proposed BRT and Light Rail system from the Greater New Brunswick Transportation Study (connects more than the Rutgers campuses, instead the entire region around New Brunswick).
To conclude, what this petition is asking for is not just simply "run more buses" or "make the bus system better", but a comprehensive look at the bigger picture. With a combination of school policy, transportation, and land use changes, it will make the bus system truly work in the long term.
If you are sick and tired of the current bus commute, I'm calling you to sign this petition, so the university can hear us and make changes that really make a difference!
I made a full video explaining the fundamental problem of Rutgers' transportation problem, and detailed the solutions.
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Petition created on October 1, 2026