Kinnelon to NYC Commute Questions (Newark, Wayne: home, transfer to, schools)

[saddlesoap75]

Hello,

It looks like we'll be moving to Kinnelon soon and I work in lower Manhattan. I know I can take the 194X bus to Port Authority and take the subway from there. So my questions are as follows:

1- Is there parking at the Northgate Road pickup location for Manhattan inbound?
2- If so, do you need to get a permit?
3- Is it worth it to drive into Parsippany or Wayne to take the train into Hoboken? What is traffic like at 7am and 6-7pm?

Thanks in advance for any advice you can offer.

[stuckinsj]

nice to know the poster has no idea where South Jersey is.

[saddlesoap75]

Not sure what that has to do with anything. I wasn't asking about south jersey.

[NJhighlands87]

Originally Posted by saddlesoap75

Not sure what that has to do with anything. I wasn't asking about south jersey.

This post is in the South Jersey forum, but belongs in the regular NJ forum.

A Kinnelon to NYC commute would probably take close to 2 hours each way.

[MaverickDD]

Originally Posted by saddlesoap75

Hello,

It looks like we'll be moving to Kinnelon soon and I work in lower Manhattan. I know I can take the 194X bus to Port Authority and take the subway from there. So my questions are as follows:

1- Is there parking at the Northgate Road pickup location for Manhattan inbound?
2- If so, do you need to get a permit?
3- Is it worth it to drive into Parsippany or Wayne to take the train into Hoboken? What is traffic like at 7am and 6-7pm?

Thanks in advance for any advice you can offer.

1) Parking at the Northgate? Not certain, but I don't think so.

2) See #1

3a) Drive to Parsippany? Not a good idea, in my opinion.

3b) Drive to Wayne? A better alternative, but not as good as the 194X.

3c) Your best bet is to pick up the 194X bus at Butler/Kinnelon/Meadtown shopping center. It's located a couple miles south on Route 23 at the junction of Route 23, Kinnelon Road, and Kiel Ave. Commuter parking there is free! (See link below)

3d) 7am is busy but traffic moves on 23 southbound with the lights.

3e) For some reason, evening rush hour on Route 23 northbound tends to start VERY early (3:30-ish) but also ends rather early. IMO, 6-7 pm is post-rush hour.

The 194X... and I stress the X, gets you into Manhattan in about 50 minutes. The 194 local can easily take 90 minutes-plus. http://www.njtransit.com/pdf/bus/T0194.pdf

You want to take the 194 bus from BUTLER (at the Kinnelon Meadtown Shopping Center) to New York City. Click the link and scroll down to the page that says 'To New York'. You will get on the bus at stop 17.

The times are listed. Try to catch an express bus with limited stops. Express buses stop at Meadtown on weekday mornings at 6:10, 6:25, 6:45, 7:00, and 7:20. The express bus gets you to the Port Authority in about an hour. The one-way fare is $11.00 unless you're over age 62, in which case it's only $5.00.

From the website... Fare Information: This is a full service line. The driver will make change. $1, $5, $10, $20 dollar bills & most coins are accepted. Drivers are not required to accept bills larger than a $20. Exact change is appreciated. Customers departing from the Port Authority Bus Terminal in New York MUST have a ticket or pass to board a bus.

[KoalaNJ]

Originally Posted by saddlesoap75

Hello,

It looks like we'll be moving to Kinnelon soon and I work in lower Manhattan. I know I can take the 194X bus to Port Authority and take the subway from there. So my questions are as follows:

1- Is there parking at the Northgate Road pickup location for Manhattan inbound?
2- If so, do you need to get a permit?
3- Is it worth it to drive into Parsippany or Wayne to take the train into Hoboken? What is traffic like at 7am and 6-7pm?

Thanks in advance for any advice you can offer.

Maverick gave you excellent advice, the only thing I would add is with reference to your #3. There is no train station in Parsippany. If you want to take a train into Manhattan you could drive to Boonton and take the train to Newark and then transfer to a train into NYC, which takes about 85/90 min, and I am not sure there is any parking available in Boonton, or drive to Mt Lakes (again parking will be an issue) and take a midtown direct train, again it will take you ~85 min. There is a large Park & Ride lot in Parsippany which has several buses into the NYPA. To go to either Boonton or Mt Lakes from Kinnelon, there are several back roads that directly connect you where you will encounter some, but not bad, rush hour traffic, but you will hit delays with following school buses and parents dropping off kids at schools. (Boonton Twp kids go to HS in Mt. Lakes) The morning commute on 287 starts well before 7 am, and if you are leaving your home around 7 you'll hit the thick of it. You will not be into your office in Manhattan by 8:30 as just the train ride takes almost 1.5 hours and you have to add the time to get to the station and park first. NJ Transit's site has a very useful tool called "Trip Planner" you should take advantage of, New Jersey Transit Especially since there are relatively few trains into/out of Manhattan from/to either Boonton or Mt Lakes each day.

KoalaNJ