Is anyone surprised at the success of the PATH Smart-link cards? They are durable, easy to use, easy to refill and handy, too.
Sale of QuickCards ending soon.You get the same discount as with the QuickCards, so it shouldn't be any surprise that the SmartCard plastic is going to push out the paper?
Seems like just yesterday PATH debuted SmartCards and offered your first card free of the $5 start up charge.
Post a comment | View comments (1)Back in the day when some of these parking lots were free to park in, you could simply buy your pass and go. Now, you have to buy a parking space, too, for the month and hope it's still there when you show up.
The solution to the parking space scrim is to make the monthly passes available a day earlier so that the people who don't read these press releases will be surprised when they can't get a space. Perhaps the ticket machine knows how many parking spots it can sell?
I have to say I don't know about paying to park, but I sure do wish they would let us buy our next-month's monthly pass earlier than the 19th.
But the question should be, for those of you who have had to pay for previously free parking, how do you feel about paying to park?
Newark Lightrail Grove Street station, Bloomfield, N.J., one of several stations affected by pay-for-parking monthly pass early sale.NJ TRANSIT ANNOUNCES CHANGE IN START TIME FOR SALE OF MONTHLY PASSES AND PARKINGNow available starting at 5 p.m. on the 19th of each month
October 15, 2008
NJT-08-086NEWARK, NJ -- Purchasing monthly passes and parking across the NJ TRANSIT system just got easier for customers. This month, NJ TRANSIT will begin selling monthly transportation passes and/or parking for NJ TRANSIT-owned facilities starting at 5 p.m. on the 19th of each month.
Previously, monthly passes went on sale at midnight on the 20th of each month.
The change in start time for sale of monthly transportation passes applies to all NJ TRANSIT ticket offices and ticket vending machines systemwide for bus, rail and light rail lines.
Parking facilities affected by this change include:
Hudson-Bergen Light Rail: Liberty State Park, 22nd Street, 34th Street, West Side Avenue and Tonnelle Avenue stations
Passaic County Bus Park/Rides: Wayne/Route 23 Transit Center, Willowbrook, Mothers and Allwood Road park & rides
Newark Light Rail: Grove Street Station
Due to the limited number of parking spaces at many locations, customers are encouraged to purchase monthly parking as early as possible.
About NJ TRANSIT
NJ TRANSIT is the nation's largest statewide public transportation system providing more than 895,000 weekday trips on 240 bus routes, three light rail lines and 11 commuter rail lines. It is the third largest transit system in the country with 164 rail stations, 60 light rail stations and more than 18,000 bus stops linking major points in New Jersey, New York and Philadelphia.
Happy trails,
-- Anthony
SOMETHING TO READ WHILE YOU RIDE PUBLIC TRANSIT ...
Buccino's latest poetry collections are Voices on the Bus and One Morning In Jersey City. The first book collects poems written while and about commuting from northeastern Essex County to Jersey City. The latter collects poems written along the Hudson River in Jersey City. You can read a free preview at the link.
We found a wonderful way to kickoff National Customer Service Week October 6 - 10. It was one of those days when you tried to remember what it was like to drive 40 miles each way to work every day.
Nowadays you take about an hour to travel 12 miles, but you drive less than three miles a day. The longest trip of the week is to the supermarket in the next town. Or the church one town over from there.
In Belleville, the 93 Hoover rounds the corner at Joralemon Street on to Franklin Avenue on its way to the Newark Light Rail station at Branchbrook Park.But this morning your commute took you to New York City which is not part of your planned travel. It was a morning like most others. The 93H NJ Transit bus came around the corner. You ambled on. The bus stopped a few times and picked up some familiar faces.
The Newark City Subway, or lightrail, took you to Penn Station in Newark and up the escalators you scrambled to the PATH car that just pulled in and was about to open its doors.
The NJ Transit NY train that comes in on the nearby track hadn't showed up and there was no crowd of lemmings waiting to rush into the WTC bound car.
You get a seat, spread out the paper and read Ricky Retro.
Next thing you know the PATH car is crowded and rolling along. A few stops later you know you're about to pull into Exchange Place. You stand up for the final approach. The long train rolls to a stop and doors open. Just not in your car. Or the car to the right. Or the car to the left.
David Peter Alan's NJ Transit commute from South Orange, N.J. to New York City takes about 90 minutes. He is legally blind and commutes in off-peak hours.
Do you think Alan has a legitimate complaint about NJ Transit off-peak service?
Let us know your thoughts on this in the comments space below.
See our earlier post Nobody Cuts The Blind Guy Any Slack
Happy trails,
-- Anthony
Buccino's latest poetry collections are Voices on the Bus and One Morning In Jersey City. The first book collects poems written while and about commuting from northeastern Essex County to Jersey City. The latter collects poems written along the Hudson River in Jersey City. You can read a free preview at the link.
Did you know that you can have Google send you an alert every time NJ Transit gets mentioned online or in a blog?
It's quite simple, actually, check out Google Alert and follow the directions.
The actual alerts will have active links, but here's a recent sample of what you'll get.
Google News Alert for: NJTransit
Train signals downed
Montclair Times - Montclair,NJ,USA
NJ Transit workers believe an unknown driver tried to beat a train at Walnut Street and smacked a railroad crossing gate, causing it to fly into overhead ...
See all stories on this topic
As the last one to jump into the PATH car before the doors closed, I was in but my backpack was out.
I tried squeezing and squishing to get the bag in through the mostly-closed doors.
Finally, I punched and kicked that fat old bag to get it in and through the doors to the floor when the doors opened. Thanks, Mr. Conductor, five-hundred feet away, you're a real sport.
I pulled my pack in to me after a rough day and set it in my own space between my feet. The rush-hour car was far too packed to reach down and take out a newspaper or book to read.
At Grove Street and Journal Square, passengers left and boarded and many looked at me. Somehow they knew, even the people boarding, about me and my pack and the closing doors.
I went back to my five-mile stare.
So, it's sometime after 6 p.m. when we pull out of Journal Square, heading east for Harrison and Newark Penn Station, when, before we could dash across the grand old bridge, our PATH train stops.
Our friendly conductor informs us the Hackensack River bridge is opening and we'll be on our way when it has closed.
We are a captive audience for who knows how long.
If you're on the other side of this train near a window, you can stare at the WittPenn Bridge, and by sheer will command it to close so we, too, can be on our way home.
In the mad rush from the PATH train to trains, subways and buses in the labyrinth of Newark Penn Station, the blind guy traversed the turnstile and headed to the right until his ball-tipped-baton tapped the small curb at the base of the handicap entrance ramp separating it from the main rush of exiting passengers.
Hapless commuters filed through the heavy swing-out doors. A few hold the door for the next passenger. Most don't.
The blind man got his ball-tipped-baton in the open doorway and the heavy door partly closed on him and his baton.
Behind us we heard the preacher man calling out for Jesus to save the sinners. The preacher gets slightly more attention than the blind guy.
Now, the blind guy tapping a swath ahead of him heads forward - and if he stays on course will discover the drop at the top of two flights of stairs.
Monday morning we were greeted by a tall man distributing fliers at the Newark City Subway Branchbrook Park Lightrail Station.
The young man was concerned that riders in the area were unaware of recent muggings in the area. He wants the authorities to enhance security. Seems as though the city police point to the NJ Transit police and vice versa.
So, if you're around on Tuesday, July 8, at 7 p.m., you might want to attend the Forest Hill Crime Prevention Meeting at the Third Presbyterian Church, 395 Ridge Street, at the corner of Abington Avenue, in Newark.
News of two recent muggings in the area, along with tips on how to protect your home, ID a suspect are the scheduled topics. An update on what's being done in the area is supposed to be part of the talk.
For more information, according to the flier, call Councilman Carlos M. Gonzalez at 973-733-6425.
-- Happy trails,
---- Anthony
You might think that a huge transportation company such as NJ Transit is immune to the little things that can go wrong in a big way. Think of it as, say, putting a Tory in charge of the Independence Day celebration in the colonies. Here, a hapless commuter relates his tale:
Here's something of interest.
July 4th - late evening after the NYC fireworks, I was returning to NJ via the Bergen Line. NJ Transit of course was on a holiday schedule which meant there were two late trains. I hopped on the 12:42 a.m. from NY Penn Station - arriving in Secaucus for the switch at 12.51. I noticed the big announcement board in Secaucus was blank - but one of the transit attendants assured those of us who asked that the trains were on the way....(there were probably more than 100 passengers)....
Well, the 1 a.m. train wasn't on time. 20 minutes went by - a lot of passengers were upset. Transit personnel said the train was coming.
Another half hour went by, and by then, the folks on the platforms figured we'd all be waiting for the 1:55 a.m. from Secaucus - the last departure of the night.
Whoever said public transportation would be running more cars because of anticipated holiday travelers surely wasn't speaking for the PATH on this Fourth of July eve. Only that guy in the private quarters on the PATH was minimally affected. More on him later.
It seems that nobody ordered more holiday cars or told the genius scheduler behind the WTC-Newark PATH at 2:30 p.m.
First of all the waiting platform was packed worse than rush hour. That should have clued in hapless commuters standing on the ramp.
When the Newark bound train arrived, it was packed high and tight from front to back. Heck, even the last two cars - which always have more room than the rest of the cars - were packed and nearly spilling out riders who didn't necessarily want to be spilled out.
NJ511 is a free phone and web service that consolidates traffic and transportation information into a one-stop resource for commuters and motorists in the Garden State. NJ511 provides up-to-the-minute traffic conditions and it's available seven days a week, 365 days a year.
Traffic and travel information offered on the NJ511 web site and telephone phone service is managed by a partnership of public agencies led by the New Jersey Department of Transportation, New Jersey Turnpike Authority, New Jersey State Police, and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.
Additional data is provided by traffic monitoring devices such as traffic cameras and travel time sensors. Local law enforcement agencies, fire departments and emergency medical technicians also contribute information for the NJ511 system.
NJ511 provides motorists information about accidents, incidents, and unusual delays on Interstate and State highways, the New Jersey Turnpike and the Garden State Parkway. It offers real time traffic and travel information seven days a week, 365 days a year. In addition, NJ511 broadcasts Amber alerts and other emergency messages.
By using NJ511, motorists can make informed decisions about planning trips, alternate routes and departure times.
In 2000, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) designated 511 as the national travel information telephone number. Thirty one states currently offer 511 services. Nationally, 511 systems are available to over 128 million people, or 47 percent of the population. Over 100 million 511 calls have been made since its inception.
Remember when there was a PATH train from Newark directly to 33rd Street?
That quasi-express train quietly disappeared when PATH reopened the line from Newark to WTC. Since then, if you want to go from Newark to 33rd Street, you have to change trains in Journal Square or Grove Street, or Pavonia Newport.
It seems to me that hapless commuters were so happy to get the trains running again nobody noticed the 33rd Street quasi-express didn't run from Newark any longer.
I'm reminded of this subtle change by notes I received from hapless commuters who find that NJTransit - which does not run the PATH - is making service changes that seriously affect their commute.
You can rail against NJTransit and PATH service changes, but if they don't get thousands of visible complaints, they feel reassured that whatever changes they are making to benefit themselves are not affecting very many sheep, er, hapless commuters.
For instance, last month we wrote about NJTransit service cuts in Morris Plains that actually eliminated four, yes, four long-standing stops completely forcing hapless commuters at those stations to rearrange their travel plans.
Now, we've heard from a hapless commuter on NJTransit trains from down the shore. They are cutting out the train he takes to work.
PENN STATION, NEWARK -- Ever notice the annoying shrill of an idling lightrail car when you are in Penn Station waiting for your outbound lightrail car?
The shrill is piercing and annoying. And the inconvenience factor is multiplied as you wait for your connecting lightrail car.
Can you believe the millions of dollars they spent on these new lightrail cars, and when they idle the noise is loud enough to keep the wolves awake!
On Saturday, June 21, trains operating between Penn Station and Grove Street will run every 30 minutes. Trains operating between Penn Station and Riverfront Stadium will run every 20 minutes. Customers may wish to consider NJ TRANSIT bus service as an alternate travel mode.
What does every half-hour mean?
A. Every 30 minutes on the half hour.
B. Every 30 minutes when we're good and ready.
C. Whatever NJTransit wants it to mean.
D. If you have to ask, you don't deserve to ride the lightrail.
We thought these were statues, but they've been waiting for the subway since Roosevelt was president. We know how they feel. WORD PROBLEM: if the Broad Street lightrail leaves at 10:30 a.m. and it's supposed to be every twenty minutes, how long after 10:10 - when you walked in - do you wait for the 'every half-hour' Grove Street lightrail?
ANSWER: You'll ride it when it gets there and not one minute sooner.
Hold the SmartLink card on the turnstile where it says to tap. If you tap, it won't deduct your fare or open the way to the clean shiny PATH car taking you to lower Manhattan and a trip uptown on the Subway using that new MetroCard with fares on it good until next June or you've spent all the money, whichever comes first.
My new SmartCard worked great.
Exit Chamber Street at the PATH WTC and you've already broken the code of secret places. Jerseyans and tourists are looking for WTC and the locals all know what they really want is to find a way to the subway from Chamber.
A challenging walk in the park with 15,000 entrants, and the queue as far ahead and back as you can see.Crossing the Hudson River into the big city is like being Alice in a land of wonders. Amazing sights and lights rise to the sky and at eye level so many baubles, beads and aromas engulf your senses making your head spin in a dizzy rush.
At your feet, air whooshes through metal grates and all around you are a million feet walking without crashing and tripping on rutted, gum-covered slabs tagged by a billions soles of the rich, poor and everyone in between.
It's only a few blocks to the subway station. It seems a lot further because most commuters are coming your way to get where you've been and head home. You know how a salmon feels on that trip up the river.
