April 2009 Commuter Newsletter

East Brunswick Commuter Parking Advisory Committee

April 2009

The Commuter New Contract: East Brunswick has awarded a 5 year contract to Suburban Transit to continue offering commuter bus service from our 2 park and ride facilities. The terms of the contract are posted at http:/www.tinyurl.com/ebpdfcoke but the terms are generally very similar to those currently in use. The contract is good for 5 years, with 2 optional 1 year periods at the conclusion of the initial 5 year period. New Fares: Under the new RFB, the 10 trip fare increases to $69. While we have not heard from Suburban Transit regarding the other fares, we expect that they will also increase at the same time. These new fare will remain in effect for three years until April 30, 2012. NJ Transit fares will not be effected. Open Letter from a CPAC Member: I joined the CPAC several years ago because I was offended by the abuse heaped on members of CPAC at a Town Council meeting when a new contract for bus service was being reviewed. The behavior of the public was abusive to CPAC without their knowledge or any consideration of what CPAC does. I was so offended by what was done that I joined to help out. Unfortunately, it has been pointed out to me in a recent email from Lou Neely, that the RFB was approved by the Town Council even though "it did not meet my standards". Lou Neely is absolutely correct. The standards I have fought for, and are still not supported by our government are: maintaining a stable temperature on buses; constant airflow so that commuters are able to breathe on the buses; lights that work; overhead storage doors that close so people don't get hurt; dispatchers that really make informative announcements; drivers that make announcements; a safe and intelligently run pick-up and drop-off area, with sufficient parking spaces; a schedule that really reflects what commuters require, and will support; a parking facility that has better safety features; and so on. There has been no pressure from anyone in our administration to even try to negotiate with Coach to try to get them to improve their management skills, to support CPAC on these issues. Too many years, no results. Unfortunately those who have all of the influence needn't concern themselves; they don't ride buses. April 22, 2009: The CPAC has received reports of a car break-in at the Neilson parking deck on April 22. Conflicting information received has confused us as to whether there was one break-in or more than one. As we have reported in the past, it is critical for police reports to be filed so that a record of these incidents is made public and formal - the data from filed police reports is the major criterion that will be used by the Town Council when or if they decide to take further steps to improve commuter safety. We request that anyone who has either suffered vandalism or a break-in, or has been made to feel unsafe in either parking deck, please let the police and CPAC (ebcommuter@ yahoo.com) know. The following details are needed: which deck, date, vehicle involved (make & model), what occurred, and if a police report was filed. Please supply as much information as possible. Any time you are involved in or witness any illegal activity in either deck, please notify the police and the CPAC. It is only with a joint effort by all of us that we can continue to strive to make our commute as safe as possible. Golden Triangle Litigation: East Brunswick and Toll Brothers are currently litigating regarding the future of the planned Golden Triangle development. At this point in time, we have no idea of when or how the property might be redeveloped or by who. In fact, Toll is requesting that the Township repurchase the property at cost plus accrued interest. Copies of the legal complaints by both parties can be found at http://www.tinyurl.com/ebpdfcoke. TCC permits: TCC permits are valid at Neilson Plaza in the permit areas ANY day during which no bus are servicing the TCC. On a day in which the TCC is operational, TCC permit holders must pay to park at Neilson. Suburban Transit Emergency Hotline: Suburban Transit has implemented a new 24/7 high capacity emergency hotline at 732-214-2750. We have been told that this line should always be available and will be kept current during unusual service conditions (weather, traffic, emergencies, etc.)

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East Brunswick Commuter Parking Advisory Committee

April 2009

CPAC Meetings: The next meeting of the CPAC will be at 8 pm on May 14, 2009 in the Municipal Building Conference Room. All commuters are invited to attend to participate, along with the management of the Parking Utility and Suburban Transit. Meetings for the remainder of 2009 are June 11; July 9; August 13; September 10; October 8; November 12; and December 10. We suggest that you check our online calendar at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/EBCommuter/cal to see if there has been a schedule change before you attend a meeting so you will not be disappointed if it has been rescheduled. April 27 Schedule Changes: New schedules will take effect on this day on the Downtown, Crosstown and TCC lines. Copies of the schedules are available at http://www.tinyurl.com/ebpdfcoke. The changes are: Crosstown: One additional p.m. bus has been added to alleviate overcrowding conditions. The last bus is now also 10 minutes later. Numerous commuters in attendance at the CPAC meeting indicated that in their view it was clear from the commuter survey results that Crosstown commuters wanted additional later in the evening service. Suburban indicated that it is not willing to honor that request even if it would mean reallocating one formerly PABT bus to a Crosstown run instead with no net addition in buses required to be operated by Suburban. The Parking Utility supported without explanation Suburban's position on this matter despite commuters objections. Results of the CPAC Crosstown commuter survey results are available at: http://www.pdfcoke.com/doc/12902022/Crosstown-Survey-Results. TCC: A late evening p.m. return bus is being eliminated with headways being adjusted accordingly. Some commuters in attendance voiced concerns that by further reducing service levels at the TCC, it will serve to additionally discourage commuters from using this facility due to its lower service levels and that this facility is already operating considerably under its parking capacity. Downtown: Both 1 a.m. and 1 p.m. bus has been eliminated and the headways have been adjusted accordingly. PABT improvements: NJ Transit has announced planned PABT upgrades including improved commuter communication capabilities. We have not heard anything about similar improvements being made available for East Brunswick Suburban Transit commuters. NJ Transit 68: As part of these new contract specifications, the Parking Utility plans to continue to use the same exclusive vendor arrangement that is currently in effect without any provision for NJ Transit to access the facility. If you use the TCC, please use extreme caution so we do not have an unfortunate vehicle/pedestrian accident as commuters walk to and from this remote stop. Neilson Daily Parking: 200 additional daily parking spots were added on a temporary basis at Neilson Plaza effective Jan. 15, 2009. Please let us know if you are ever still unable to get a daily parking spot because the facility is full. Scribd: As a convenience to commuters, the CPAC is posting Suburban Transit schedules, holiday notices and other important commuter information on Scribd. You can access our posted files at http://www.tinyurl.com/ebpdfcoke. We often can not send an e-mail with these files attached to our e-mail list with these documents due to the large size of these files. Yahoogroups: The CPAC sponsors an East Brunswick commuter discussion group on Yahoogroups at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/EBCommuter/. Commuters are welcome to visit this web site, or sign up as a member to receive copies of the site’s discussion.

Receive Newsletter and Commuter Service Information by E-mail The CPAC delivers newsletters and other information by e-mail as it becomes available. To subscribe, send an email to ebcnews-subscribe@ topica.com. Then reply when you get the sign up confirmation message. You may cancel your subscription at any time The CPAC will not disseminate your email address or use it for any other purpose. Our normal e-mail address remains ebcommuter@ yahoo.com.

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