(Dec. 3, 2009) — This week, Chris Neidenberg looks at the difficulty that some local residents are having with bus-stop issues in the South Bergen area (read more Page A1). For the locals mentiond in the article and the countless others who rely on public transportation every single day of their working lives, a bus stop is not simply a structure on the side of the road. In many ways, it can be a shelter from the elements and a means to get to and from an important place of employment or medical office.

In a world with a dwindling economy and with the advent of green initiatives, it would seem logical for the public to have proper and appropriate means of public transportation. And, for the most part, NJ Transit and other companies that run buses in the area provide for many contented passengers. But these organizations and the locals in the Meadowlands region must never forget about the people who are having trouble — because behind these complaints are usually good people who are simply looking for a small improvement to a vast network of transportation.

Michael Frees of Carlstadt is not asking for the world. He is simply asking for a wooden bench on Paterson Avenue. The previous bench has been gone for two years. John Ammirati of Lyndhurst is in an ongoing struggle to simply have a bus stop near his place of residence on a more frequent basis.

Two people, two issues — seemingly easy, but both are victims of a bogged-down bureacracy where easy solutions are not that easy.

The interests and rebuttal of NJ Transit and DeCamp Bus Lines should be considered. They are operating in a difficult economic climate and they service many commuters, not just those who complain.

But once again, local residents must understand that the bus and its bus stops are not simple issues for people looking for a night out in New York City or a drive down the block. These are issues that affect lives.

For behind every complaint is a life story.