Travels With TonooseArchives of Traveling BlogsBy Anthony Buccino |
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SECOND STRANGEST THING Tuesday night at the Branch Brook Park Newark Light Rail station, I saw the second strangest thing in all my days as a hapless commuter.When I exited the outbound train to the middle island I could already see that the 6:38 bus to Paterson was long gone. Nearby, across the platform and on the other side of the tracks two uniformed policemen were conferring. I walked down the ill-conceived multi-million dollar redesigned Branch Brook Park light rail station and waited for my bus. What was missing in the air was the stinky blue cloud of smoke. But that’s not the second strangest thing I’ve seen in all my days as a hapless commuter. I moseyed over to a light pole away from the waiting throngs and cast a casual eye towards the uniformed officers. In a moment or two another outbound light rail car came along and deposited its passengers in the center island. Now, if you’ve never been to the Branch Brook Park Newark Light Rail station – and I don’t think of it as a tourist destination unless the cherry blossom trees are in boom – you’ll find that the light rail cars arrive from the north on an inbound course towards downtown Newark. The other light rail cars arrive from the south on a course outbound from downtown Newark. The inbound light rail cars load and unload passengers to the main station area, a straight walk from the inbound and outbound buses. The outbound light rail cars load and unload passengers onto a center island which is about a foot and a half above the tracks. A sign, near the No Smoking sign that nobody reads either, cites the state statute prohibiting crossing the tracks except at the designated area. Well, don’t you know it, before you can say, “Governor Corzine, ride this train,” a hapless commuter steps off the outbound train, crosses the island, passes the opening in the fence blocking the crossing, and steps down to the exposed track, across, and up the other side. Why not? It’s shorter. That’s when I saw the second strangest thing in all my days as a hapless commuter. The Newark police officer and the NJ Transit officer asked the track crosser to step over to them. The young man politely complied. And when they asked if this was the first time he had crossed the track and did he have any ID on him, well that’s when things got tricky. The officers grilled him for a few minutes while the other hapless commuters milled around awaiting a way away from this place. Ultimately, the NJ Transit officer escorted the young man to the squad car. Just in time to catch the next 74 bus to Paterson, the young man strolled onto the bus with his track-crossin ticket in hand. Don’t that beat all? - Happy trails (watch where you cross the track) - Anthony
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