{"id":837,"date":"2019-02-08T17:52:38","date_gmt":"2019-02-08T17:52:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.teanecktoday.com\/blog\/?p=837"},"modified":"2019-07-11T16:50:50","modified_gmt":"2019-07-11T16:50:50","slug":"the-port-authority-apologizes-for-any-inconvenience-but-that-is-all","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.teanecktoday.com\/blog\/roads\/the-port-authority-apologizes-for-any-inconvenience-but-that-is-all\/","title":{"rendered":"[UPDATE] The Port Authority Apologizes For Any Inconvenience But That Is [NOT] All"},"content":{"rendered":"

[UPDATE] After posting this, I received a call from the manager of the Port Authority.
\n<\/span>The update appears below the post<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Last month, I was frustrated by the fact that carpools are limited to \u201cCash-Only\u201d lanes at PA bridges and tunnels and I fired off a tweet to the Port Authority and my elected reps.\u00a0 Shortly after, I got a letter from Diannae C. Ehler, Director of the Tunnels, Bridges and Terminals at the Port Authority, who is responsible for operations and maintenance at the PA.<\/p>\n

If you are tasked with making sure that people can efficiently move between NYC and NJ, there are several things you want to do.\u00a0 Among them is to<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. \u00a0Reduce the number of cars on the road and<\/li>\n
  2. Have the remaining cars move as quickly as possible.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

     <\/p>\n

    The Port Authority has an\u00a0incentive program<\/a>, for people that wish to carpool (with 3 or more people) whereby they pay reduced rates to go over the GWB or Lincoln Tunnel:<\/p>\n

    \"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

    When three people carpool, you remove two cars from the road and the benefits become clear.<\/p>\n

    But there\u2019s a problem with this incentive:<\/p>\n

    “Customers must use a staffed \u201cCash\/E-ZPass\u201d lane and come to a complete stop so that the Toll Collector can verify the number of occupants in the vehicle.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

    When you have to use cash lanes, which are notoriously long and slow, it defeats the point of zipping through in your incentivized carpool.<\/p>\n

    Even the MTA (not particularly known for it\u2019s exceptional customer service qualifications), has managed to figure out\u00a0how to use EZ-Pass lanes<\/a>\u00a0for their carpooling customers.\u00a0 You can even mail in a request for your HOV EZ-Pass tags.<\/p>\n

    So why can\u2019t you do this at the Port Authority, Diannae?<\/p>\n

    Like many things the PA does, the situation just gets worse.<\/p>\n

    The PA takes the few cash lanes they have \u2013 and then shuts them down periodically, for breaks.<\/p>\n

    As if it\u2019s not bad enough to have to sit in a long line of cash paying customers, just to get the \u201cincentive rate meant to keep fewer cars on the road\u201d, they then shut down those lanes during times of peak demand.<\/p>\n

    I tagged the Port Authority on Twitter with pics of this insanity back on\u00a0November 20th<\/a>.<\/p>\n

    \n

    Goal: encourage carpools to get cars off the road
    \nReality: Force carpools into \u201cCash Only\u201d lanes and then close one.<\/p>\n

    Fix this, @SenatorLorettaW<\/a> @GMJohnsonNJ<\/a> @valerie_huttle<\/a> @PANYNJ<\/a> @PANYNJ_GWB<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/pm2Pab58v8<\/a><\/p>\n

    \u2014 Councilman Keith Kaplan (@Cm_KeithKaplan) November 20, 2018<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n