For the residents of Washington and Lincoln, the change has been a long time coming.

After decades of seeing their narrow, one-way residential streets employed by New Jersey Transit buses as turnarounds more than 60 times a day, they are hopeful that the rerouting plan will gain approval from Bergen County and the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) authorities.

But at least one resident of Hoboken Road sees progress coming at her expense.

"This problem is not solved by moving it," said Carol Coronato, a Hoboken Road homeowner, during public comments at the March 20 meeting of the East Rutherford mayor and council.

In an emotional 20 minutes of back and forth with East Rutherford Mayor James Cassella and several board members, Coronato suggested that the rerouting plan would "open Pandora’s Box" and lead to strong disapproval—and possibly legal action—from her and her neighbors.

Coronato originally addressed her comments to Councilman Jeffrey Lahullier, who led the borough’s effort to utilize the recently-acquired former Sunoco station as an alternative turnaround site for buses. She read aloud from comments Lahullier had made in the Feb. 26 edition of The South Bergenite.

"It's really all about quality of living for the people on Lincoln Place and Washington [Place]," said Lahullier in the article to which Coronato referred. "It's about them not having to hear the buses' breaks screeching and the dishes rattling in their cupboards. Those streets are not designed for buses."

"You are giving them quality of life by taking away mine," said Coronato in response to the comments. "It’s just not right."

Lahullier acknowledged Coronato’s concerns but defended the proposed move. He pointed out that Hoboken Road and Paterson Avenue are wider and better able to handle bus traffic, and that buses would no longer have their breaks tested by the narrow passage and inclines of Washington and Lincoln.

"That section of Hoboken Road won’t get the screeching breaks effect," said Lahullier. "And the buses are far enough away from the homes."

Cassella added that moving the buses to county-controlled roads would remove a special imposition on the borough and would be in line with New Jersey Transit’s practices elsewhere.

"Nowhere are they [New Jersey Transit buses] on non-county road except in East Rutherford," said Cassella.

The mayor reiterated that the proposal, though blessed by Bergen County, was still under review by NJDOT. "We’d prefer the buses not even touch these streets, [but] we have no jurisdiction," said Cassella. "We have to first find out if it’s possible and how much it will cost. So let’s wait to fight about it."

Councilman George Perry added that, pending approval, the borough would consider the move on a trial-basis to see how it affected the quality of life of residents. Nevertheless, Coronato vowed that if the move was made, she would consider legal recourse.

"I will take this to the Civil Liberties Union," she said. "Because you are violating my rights."

Several residents of Washington and Lincoln places were also in attendance, and spoke in favor of the move, noting that children use the streets to walk to school during the morning rush hour.

David Hufnagel, a lifelong Lincoln Place resident, summed up his neighbors’ frustrations.

"We didn’t complain until recently, when the buses got bigger," Hufnagel told the council. "When we were growing up, there were only about 10 buses [a day], and they were smaller. Now there are 60. We recommended going back to smaller buses but we were told that was not an option."

"Someone is going to lose here a little bit," Hufnagel added, expressing sympathy for Coronato and her neighbors. "I admit I am being a little selfish. It’s gotten to be too much."