Bill Text: NJ AR155 | 2010-2011 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Urges Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to reduce bus congestion at Port Authority bus terminal.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 4-0)
Status: (Engrossed - Dead) 2011-12-05 - Passed by the Assembly (65-9-4) [AR155 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2010-AR155-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Assemblyman THOMAS P. GIBLIN
District 34 (Essex and Passaic)
Co-Sponsored by:
Assemblywoman Vainieri Huttle and Assemblyman Caputo
SYNOPSIS
Urges Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to reduce bus congestion at Port Authority bus terminal.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Assembly Resolution urging the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to develop and implement a plan to reduce the bus congestion at the Port Authority bus terminal.
Whereas, Each day approximately 6,000 buses travel underneath the Hudson River between New York and New Jersey; and
Whereas, Those buses account for 225,000 passenger trips each day, the vast majority of which are taken by New Jersey residents commuting to jobs in Manhattan; and
Whereas, By comparison, New Jersey Transit trains carry 165,000 people to and from New York's Penn Station each day; and
Whereas, The bus system feeding into the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey ("Port Authority") bus terminal has reached its capacity; and
Whereas, Approximately one in 10 New Jersey Transit buses leave the terminal at least six minutes late between 3:30 p.m. and 7:00 p.m.; and
Whereas, There is no capacity to add additional buses during rush hour, as each of the terminal's 183 gates is in use at that time; and
Whereas, In addition to the rush hour backlog, there is no place in Manhattan to park buses once they have dropped of their passengers in the morning, so that each day, thousands of buses must go back through the Lincoln Tunnel each morning after dropping their passengers off, spend the day parked in New Jersey, and then come back through the Lincoln Tunnel empty in the evening to pick up the evening commuters; and
Whereas, Sending empty buses through the Lincoln Tunnel increases congestion in New Jersey and New York; and
Whereas, A plan to build a tower above the bus terminal, add additional gates and improve bus terminal operations has been in limbo for over a decade; and
Whereas, It is necessary for the Port Authority to immediately develop and implement a plan to eliminate or reduce bus congestion and resulting delays occurring each day at the Port Authority's bus terminal; now, therefore,
Be It Resolved by the General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. The General Assembly of the State of New Jersey respectfully urges the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to immediately develop and implement a plan to eliminate or reduce bus congestion and resulting delays occurring each day at the Port Authority's bus terminal.
2. Duly authenticated copies of this resolution, signed by the Speaker of the General Assembly and attested to by the Clerk thereof, shall be transmitted to the Governor of the State of New Jersey, the Governor of the State of New York, and each member of the Port Authority Board of Commissioners.
STATEMENT
This resolution respectfully urges the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to immediately develop and implement a plan to eliminate or reduce bus congestion and resulting delays occurring each day at the Port Authority's bus terminal.
