Stop the UES Bus depot

In case you are not aware, the Moorestown Board of Education has plans to move the district buses, fuel storage, and maintenance barn behind the UES from the High School. This would be part of a planned referendum in likely September 2025 for the town to vote on, but there is still time for them to find a more suitable location or abandon this concept fully (note: the referendum was originally planned for March 2025, but the school board delayed it). Your help would be greatly appreciated!

This bus depot move would worsen the traffic situation and create excessive noise for those on Salem Crossing, in the Hunt, and off Borton Landing, especially in light of the pending apartment complex. I understand that the motivation for such a move is for increased parking to allow for junior student parking and to regain a classroom. Unfortunately, virtually no consideration has been given to alternate locations. Failing to act on an alternate site or abandon this altogether, pushes the bus depot issue from one location to another where there are far more issues overall.

Negative Factors: There are multiple reasons for objecting to the planned relocation, but the top ones are:

1. Worsening the current traffic nightmare. Several times a day, traffic is backed up from Salem Crossing Road to Westfield Road. It is worse around the start and end of school, but it is becoming a consistent challenge. It makes it a near impossibility to enter and exit our properties, but this is an issue for anyone using Borton Landing Road to access Creek Road and Marter Avenue. This will only get worse once the apartment complex is built across from the UES. No formal traffic study has been conducted.
   
   Relocating the bus depot will make this situation significantly worse. The will increase the total vehicle count that the road will need to handle, residents on Salem Crossing Road will see a 100 percent increase in traffic with a new traffic flow (entry/exit for the school would use that road), buses will face a challenge in exiting and entering the lot given the proposed dedicated lane, and the traffic impact will be higher than anticipated given bus drivers needing to arrive/depart in their personal vehicles and often repeat the same route in the afternoon. This could amount to over 400 additional trips a day with half of that being heavy vehicle traffic (a majority of which are diesel).

2. Conflicting with the nature of the present neighborhood. Unlike at the High School, dozens of homes would be impacted by this move even outside of the traffic. This includes increased noises before 6 am in the morning for bus checks and departures, increased noise during the entry and exit of buses, and the unsightly nature of the depot with a fuel storage facility and a pole barn for maintenance. Notably, third-party tests show this project would expose residents of Bramley Road to noise in excess of New Jersey legal limits (see "summary" image below for more information and a full presentation is available). Unlike the High School, these are all neighbors who purchased their properties before such a move was contemplated so they will be forced to be subjected to the depot or have to move. This will likely result in a negative impact on our home values.

3. Eroding open space. To make room for the depot, a large portion of the existing field behind the school would be lost and environmental impacts have not been studied. This continues an unfortunate trend of open areas being turned into asphalt. Even with there being space for a field after construction, I can attest that the full area behind the school is often utilized and it is enjoyable to have a large green space. There are multiple alternative options on land that has already been built on, including multiple sites that the town owns.

4. Creating safety concerns. Many neighbors and children utilize the pedestrian walkway on Borton Landing Road. Given the routine bus entry and exits, we are increasing the amount of heavy traffic and this increases the likelihood of an accident. This includes students in elementary school grades biking to school. Likewise, medical professionals have raised concerns around toxic emissions and their impact on our children. The high school has no concern. 

5. Wasting valuable tax dollars. Given the recent history of referendums being rejected, it is even more important to prioritize projects and ensure the wisest use of taxpayer funds is being requested. There are many projects being considered that have a strong need. I do not feel this project rises to the level of others. While this referendum might coincide with the end of the last bond, this would still be taxpayer money and residents would see a tax decrease without it.

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