Studies say we’ll be at full capacity in 2020 … well guess what
Monday morning I left for work at about 10:00AM. Thanks to an over anxious bus driver, I didn’t get to my office on 56th and 8th Avenue until 11:05. The driver felt the need to change lanes at the last minute. Apparently she was not happy with the toll plaza in front of her. In doing so, she misjudged the angle and caught one of the rear tires on a barricade and we were stuck. Once freed from this mess, we were pulled over by a cop who for some reason only took my information as a witness and flagged down a gypsy van to bring us thru the Lincoln Tunnel.
Tuesday morning I left a little later at about 10:30 hoping to miss whatever traffic there was earlier but no luck. And our reasons for sitting in the tunnel for nearly thirty minutes are still unknown. At least on Monday I could lay the blame on a driver who clearly failed geometry in high school. Coming home later that night was just as painful as the line for the bus stretched from the gate, down the escalator, thru the south wing and into the north wing of the Port Authority bus terminal. Luckily I had my neighbor who grew up in Hoboken to not only keep me company, but to confirm that things are getting worse.
I decided to distress by working from home on Wednesday. I figured one day off would settle my commuter nerves. Then came this morning. I decided on some reverse tactics. I would leave my house at 8:45 thereby getting in early even if faced with a bit of rush hour traffic. Before I tell you how long it took me to get in, I need to tell those of you unfamiliar with the area just how far I live from the bus terminal. It’s less than 3.5 miles!! And it took me an hour just to get thru the tunnel today. It was so bad that at one point the driver was reading the newspaper as we sat in the carbon monoxide filled tunnel.
So all these studies that say we’re nearing capacity and will hit it in 10 to 15 years need to be reopened. There is no doubt in my mind that we are there already. I find it ludicrous that it now averages forty five minutes to an hour to travel a mere 3.5 miles. And NYC’s wise Mayor Bloomberg seems to think that raising tolls in certain areas will reduce traffic. I can tell you right now, it will not. The tolls were raised from $4.00 to $6.00 seven years ago and traffic continues to increase. Only one thing will help this situation and it is something the city of NY and the Port Authority won’t do because there is no money to be made.
After 9/11, the Port Authority placed a carpool restriction on all tunnels and bridges. Basically, no vehicle could cross the Hudson during certain morning hours unless it had three or more people inside. This worked like a charm. Not only did it reduce traffic which reduced commute times, it also gave rebirth the long-gone concept of carpooling. And in this day of environmental frailty, carpooling makes sense on so many levels. Commuters save money, time and lower carbon emissions. The restrictions also forced people to rethink the purpose and convenience of mass transit. Sadly these were lifted after just six months and the congestion problems all came back.
Oh sure, congestion pricing might temporarily reduce traffic. But eventually people, who simply want or need to drive in, will suck it up and pay the extra money. Such as commercial trucks that need drive into NYC thanks to there being no integrated cargo rail system. And those who use London as an example of this working need to understand that London’s mass transit is way more efficient and outreaching than ours. Take for example commuters in Queens and Staten Island. There are simply not enough trains or buses to accommodate. However, if forced to carpool … well everyone either has a car or knows someone who does. It’s why we have this problem to begin with.
So please Mr. Port Authority … um … authority … bring back carpool restrictions so I can get to the bus terminal in the 10 to 15 minutes it should—and used to—take.
