Dec 2008

East Brunswick Commuter Parking Advisory Committee

December 2008

The Commuter Golden Triangle redevelopment: The resolution of the Golden Triangle redevelopment agreement remains uncertain at this time. Part of this agreement is the requirement that Toll Brothers and Edgeboro Properties continue making their required payments to the Township. In the meantime, the Township has authorized the potential issuance of $25 million in bonds on behalf of the Parking Utility to repurchase the site from the developers. When and if we hear additional information about this issue, we will share it with our commuter e-mail list. TCC entrance: One related issue is particularly important for TCC commuters. As TCC commuters are aware, the front TCC parking entrance is through a very awkwardly designed set of turns through the Sam’s Club loading dock area. Commuters have questioned the safety of this design, but the Parking Utility has stated that nothing can be done about this safety concern unless and until the Golden Triangle development process is resolved. The CPAC will continue to request that this safety issue be addressed as soon as possible. Safety and security improvements: At the December public meeting, the Parking Utility and commuters discussed potential security improvements at both parking facilities in light of the November 24 break-ins at Tower Center. Since that attack, we have received additional reports from commuters of vehicle break-ins, with one vehicle even having being attacked twice. In response, the Parking Utility and Public Safety have developed a plan to improve the safety and security at both facilities. While some of the plan remains confidential, the expectation is that security will be improved at both facilities. However, many commuters including CPAC members would like serious consideration to be made of implementing camera coverage of the parking areas of the two facilities. The CPAC awaits cost estimates regarding the installation and operation of these devices in those areas. Revised Crosstown schedule: A revised Crosstown schedule was presented at the December CPAC meeting. Several commuters objected to the proposed schedule changes due to the adverse impact on TCC Crosstown commuters. Despite this, the proposed schedule change was approved by the Parking Utility. According to Suburban Manager Scott Sprengel, these changes were necessary to accommodate the addition of a Crosstown bus originating at the Neilson Parking deck. Mr. Sprengel noted that in his view these schedule changes would have little impact upon TCC commuters since they could take PABT buses instead. These changes were made in an effort to alleviate Neilson Plaza scheduling issues. Although the commuters present at the meeting were not satisfied with the final decision, the ultimate decision to approve any Suburban Transit schedule change lies with the Parking Utility. 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 send an e-mail to our e-mail list when these documents are posted. We generally can not e-mail the files themselves due to their size.

TCC permits: The TCC no longer has a waiting list for monthly parking permits, either for East Brunswick residents or non-residents. If would like to apply for a TCC monthly parking permit, please complete the TCC permit application and return it to the Parking Utility office. The monthly cost of a parking permit is $25 for an East Brunswick resident and $55 for a non-resident. You can access the parking permit application at the following link: http://www.pdfcoke.com/doc/9256602/TCC-Parking-Application. January CPAC meeting: The next meeting of the CPAC will be at 8 pm on Jan. 8, 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. We have yet to receive a complete calendar of meetings for the remainder of 2009. HVAC requirements: Our Township's agreement with Suburban Transit on HVAC is two fold: (1) bus temperatures will be set as much as physically possible to 72 degrees F year round and that (2) the bus air circulation system should be operating at all times. If either rule is not being followed, please report this to Suburban Transit or the CPAC for follow up with sufficient detail (bus number, date, time, etc.) for appropriate action to be taken. PLEASE DO NOT ASK A DRIVER TO VIOLATE THESE POLICIES. If you are cold or warm, put on or take off your coat or move to another part of the bus. Kindly recognize that not every passenger can be satisfied 100% of the time. Thank you for your cooperation. QTE accounts: Effective January 1, 2009 the maximum monthly pre-tax contribution for mass transit QTEs will become $120 and has increased $5 per month from 2008 levels. Commuters with such a benefit may want to adjust their QTE withholding amounts in response to this change. Clever Commute: The CPAC has assisted in the implementation of a commuter operated, real-time commuter information service. The New York Times has had an article discussing this service (you can access it at http://tinyurl.com/ysegzm). This third party operated service permits commuters with SMS capable cell phones or smartphones such as BlackBerries to send and receive real-time message to other commuters that have signed up for the listserv. This service is designed to rapidly distribute short, real time messages to commuters regarding commuter service issues such as tunnel problems, highway disruptions, etc. To join the service, go to Clever Commute at http://clevercommute.com/RoutesAndSignUp.php. Once there, please select "Commuter Bus" under Item 2 as the Provider Type. Then select "East Brunswick Lines." You will then have to confirm your registration. All messages come from your fellow commuters, so the more commuters that sign up for and use this service, the more effective it will become. Please send messages when there is something useful to share, but keep in mind that this listserv is not moderated in order to keep it real-time. This service is not operated by the CPAC and is not meant as a substitute for our other listservs. 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. The Commuter

December 2008