Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Thanks everyone for the recommendations. I'm not far from Sicklerville Road so I'm figuring I'll try the commute for a week since I'm very close to 42 and see how it goes and if its too cumbersome I'll take the PATCO. Are there any major differences between the Lindenwold stations vs the other stations (i.e Ashland, etc.)? I'm assuming in terms of proximity Lindenwold would be the best?
Lindenwold = This is the "end of the line" on the NJ side, so all trains into Philly originate from there. It is a large station with a large parking lot. Starting from here, you will have your choice of seat on the train. Express trains* also run from here.
Ashland = Small station in a decent area. The parking is far more limited and can fill up. It is the second station for inbound trains, so you can still generally get a seat. Express trains* used to not stop here, but they do now.
Woodcrest = The other large station on the line (about as physically big as Lindenwold) and is the busiest/highest volume station. Being right off of 295 this is the most convenient station for most people. There are going to be large crowds at this station and during peak commute times the train will fill up leaving here. Express trains* all stop at this station.
* Express trains are trains that are heading into Philly, but skip certain suburban stations in NJ. Express trains do not stop at Haddonfield, Westmont and Collingswood. If you are starting out from Lindenwold, Ashland or Woodcrest try to get onto an express train and it will shave about 5-7 minutes off the ride since they won't make those extra three stops. They still stop at all stations in Camden and Philly.
Personally, whichever station is the easiest/fastest car ride is the one I would go with. If you are going to be commuting early in the AM and/or coming home late at night, Woodcrest or Ashland are in nicer areas. Lindenwold is not dangerous per se, but it's not in the nicest of areas. Ashland is going to mean smaller crowds and that can be nice.
Quote:
Originally Posted by stuckinsj
Id rather have people in Utah paying for SJ transit than the other way around. SLC got 80% funding for an 11 mile rail line (mostly through farm fields)
Considering that as a state NJ gets back less than .70 cents on every dollar we send to the Fed; NJ taxpayers are not only technically supplying every penny of "Federal funding" we get, but we are the ones paying for things in Utah.
What is the deal with Lindenwold? What makes it worse than other stretches of South Jersey suburbia?
Lindenwold has a lot of crime issues and is a known drug haven, especially in the apartment complexes in the town. The town itself has a very diverse racial makeup and is also poorer socio-economically then many of the areas around it. It's not "Camden bad", but in comparison to the other towns in the area, it's just not very nice. There have been shootings there and lot's of reports of gang activity and drug busts. The train station area is on the borderline of the town, but everything comes together there in terms of busses, trains, taxis, etc. So, it can be quite the melting pot of interesting characters depending on the time of day. The transit police are always there, but I know plenty of people who feel more comfortable taking PATCO from Ferry Ave. in Camden near the Collingswood border than taking it from Lindenwold.
Between 2008 and 2011 there were 8 murders and 25 rapes in a town of around 17,000 people. The crime index is nearly 40% higher than the US average, whereas most of the nicer South Jersey communities have a rate that is a third or less of the US average. In other words, the US average crime rate is ~319. Lindenwold is ~438. Most South Jersey towns are ~100.
Quote:
Originally Posted by NJhighlands87 What is the deal with Lindenwold? What makes it worse than other stretches of South Jersey suburbia?
Lindenwold has a lot of crime issues and is a known drug haven, especially in the apartment complexes in the town. The town itself has a very diverse racial makeup and is also poorer socio-economically then many of the areas around it. It's not "Camden bad", but in comparison to the other towns in the area, it's just not very nice. There have been shootings there and lot's of reports of gang activity and drug busts. The train station area is on the borderline of the town, but everything comes together there in terms of busses, trains, taxis, etc. So, it can be quite the melting pot of interesting characters depending on the time of day. The transit police are always there, but I know plenty of people who feel more comfortable taking PATCO from Ferry Ave. in Camden near the Collingswood border than taking it from Lindenwold.
Between 2008 and 2011 there were 8 murders and 25 rapes in a town of around 17,000 people. The crime index is nearly 40% higher than the US average, whereas most of the nicer South Jersey communities have a rate that is a third or less of the US average. In other words, the US average crime rate is ~319. Lindenwold is ~438. Most South Jersey towns are ~100.
Wow! That does sound bad. I wonder how a town gets like that. In the big cities the origins of those kinds of problems are well established (de-industrialization, red-lining, white flight, etc.) but I think it's a bit harder to explain in suburbs like Lindenwold, Willingboro, Riverside, etc. I'm guessing wealth conentrating in the northern part of the state, or in specific towns in the south like Cherry Hill, Voorhees, and Haddonfield are contributing factors.
Location: The place where the road & the sky collide
23,814 posts, read 34,714,286 times
Reputation: 10256
Quote:
Originally Posted by NJhighlands87
Wow! That does sound bad. I wonder how a town gets like that. In the big cities the origins of those kinds of problems are well established (de-industrialization, red-lining, white flight, etc.) but I think it's a bit harder to explain in suburbs like Lindenwold, Willingboro, Riverside, etc. I'm guessing wealth conentrating in the northern part of the state, or in specific towns in the south like Cherry Hill, Voorhees, and Haddonfield are contributing factors.
A ton of apartments were built in Lindenwold for babyboomers graduating from high school & college. They were nice apartments. As babyboomers started buying houses & leaving apartments the requirement for section 8 housing saw renters moving in from Camden. At some point a tipping point was reached & the suburban renters left. That's what happened to Lindenwold.
A ton of apartments were built in Lindenwold for babyboomers graduating from high school & college. They were nice apartments. As babyboomers started buying houses & leaving apartments the requirement for section 8 housing saw renters moving in from Camden. At some point a tipping point was reached & the suburban renters left. That's what happened to Lindenwold.
Totally correct. It was part of the garden apartment movement in the 1960's. It completely ignored walkablity and mixed use, like everything else from that era including PATCO. The PATCO planners were even proud that 90% of people arriving to stations in NJ got there by car.
Location: The place where the road & the sky collide
23,814 posts, read 34,714,286 times
Reputation: 10256
Quote:
Originally Posted by stuckinsj
Totally correct. It was part of the garden apartment movement in the 1960's. It completely ignored walkablity and mixed use, like everything else from that era including PATCO. The PATCO planners were even proud that 90% of people arriving to stations in NJ got there by car.
The speedline opened in February 1969. The apartment boom in Lindenwold happened in the early to mid 70s. There was bus service to the train station.
Lindenwold = This is the "end of the line" on the NJ side, so all trains into Philly originate from there. It is a large station with a large parking lot. Starting from here, you will have your choice of seat on the train. Express trains* also run from here.
Ashland = Small station in a decent area. The parking is far more limited and can fill up. It is the second station for inbound trains, so you can still generally get a seat. Express trains* used to not stop here, but they do now.
Woodcrest = The other large station on the line (about as physically big as Lindenwold) and is the busiest/highest volume station. Being right off of 295 this is the most convenient station for most people. There are going to be large crowds at this station and during peak commute times the train will fill up leaving here. Express trains* all stop at this station.
* Express trains are trains that are heading into Philly, but skip certain suburban stations in NJ. Express trains do not stop at Haddonfield, Westmont and Collingswood. If you are starting out from Lindenwold, Ashland or Woodcrest try to get onto an express train and it will shave about 5-7 minutes off the ride since they won't make those extra three stops. They still stop at all stations in Camden and Philly.
Personally, whichever station is the easiest/fastest car ride is the one I would go with. If you are going to be commuting early in the AM and/or coming home late at night, Woodcrest or Ashland are in nicer areas. Lindenwold is not dangerous per se, but it's not in the nicest of areas. Ashland is going to mean smaller crowds and that can be nice.
Considering that as a state NJ gets back less than .70 cents on every dollar we send to the Fed; NJ taxpayers are not only technically supplying every penny of "Federal funding" we get, but we are the ones paying for things in Utah.
Thanks NJGOAT for the station breakdown. Very helpful!! -- I'll try each station at least once to see which one I'm most comfortable with.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
