Oct 2009

East Brunswick Commuter Parking Advisory Committee

October 2009

The Commuter Special Election Issue: Candidates Commuter Questions and Answers As we have done in past elections, the Commuter Parking Advisory Committee (CPAC) submitted a list of commuter oriented questions to the Council candidates up for election on November 3. We hope you find this discussion on commuter issues useful and encourage all registered voters to take advantage of your opportunity to vote in this election. Q: Toll Bros and the Township have been litigating the Golden Triangle project for almost a year now with no end in sight. What do you think should be done with the proposed project and the litigation? Korten: The Township disagreed with the redeveloper's insistence to change the terms and conditions of the signed contract that would have generated far less revenue from the project, making it financially unfair to East Brunswick taxpayers. The path to litigation was well in motion before I was appointed to the Township Council on Jan. 1, 2009, to fill the 3rd year of Mayor Stahl's unexpired 4-year council term, after he was elected last November. Looking ahead, the Township should prepare several alternative plans now that meet East Brunswick's financial and strategic objectives so it can negotiate in earnest with any redeveloper it deems appropriate immediately after a settlement takes place. Ferraro: Unfortunately we are not in a position to do much but follow through with the litigation. The property is in limbo it can neither be used nor disposed of. What it should not do is paralyze any other development projects that could be undertaken at other locations in the township. Q: NJ Transit 68 commuters continue waiting in the middle of the Golden Triangle complex. What, if anything, do you think should be done about this? Korten: As an East Brunswick bus commuter for 22 years and former long-time member of the CPAC, I believe that NJ Transit riders are customers of the Parking Utility and should not be standing out in the cold when an indoor parking deck is right next door. Notwithstanding the fact that this arrangement is part of the current bus contract, I recommend the following: * Within the constraints of the current contract, East Brunswick should serve as a broker (acting in the public good) by making strong appeals to Coach USA and NJ Transit to cooperate in allowing bus #68 to make its few morning and evening commuter runs in-between scheduled runs of Coach USA buses. The CPAC should continue to advocate for this solution as well. * Absent voluntary agreement to these changes during the life of the current contract, the next round of negotiations which can take place well before the last year of the 7-year contract -- must ensure that bus #68 riders can board buses from within the parking facility. * In the interim, the Parking Utility should take further steps to ensure pedestrian safety through additional signage, fencing, and clear markings on the pavement outside and inside the parking deck. Ferraro: The leadership of the Town Council should use their influence with other elected State and Federal officials to reach some equitable agreement with NJ Transit so those commuters will have access to safe and comfortable commuting accommodations. Q: Do you believe that the conditions at TCC are safe, especially with the drop off and NJ Transit 68 waiting areas, and if not, what do you believe should be done about them? Korten: As I state in the third bullet above in response to question 2, I believe conditions should be further improved to ensure safety for Bus #68 riders boarding and de-boarding buses. The Parking Utility should take further steps to ensure pedestrian safety through additional signage, fencing, and clear markings on the pavement outside and inside the parking deck. Ferraro: The conditions at the TCC are not safe for the NJT 68 commuters, or for the users of the "kiss and park" facility. The NJ Transit waiting area needs to be enlarged, both in available shelter and in access to the parking deck. A direct walkway should be established so that they do not have to walk around to access the pick up location for their bus. Lighting needs to be improved in that entire area. Q: Suburban now has a multi-year contract in place that could last for as long as 7 years. What do you think the Parking Utility should do to make sure that Suburban meets the terms of the contract and supplies appropriate service levels to commuters? Korten: There are two types of feedback, when done on a consistent and forceful basis, will help prod Suburban into better compliance with contractually promised service levels. One is new and the other is a tried and true process in bringing incremental progress over time.

* The first involves changing the job function of current parking utility part-time employees who are responsible for checking parking permits on parked cars, to being Customer Care Representatives, who are focused on service levels provided to commuters. These employees would keep track of the times buses come into and out of TCC and Nielsen in the mornings - as a double check to what dispatchers are writing in their logs -- as well as document instances of poor customer service observed and reported to them within the facilities. These reports will be delivered to Parking Utility management and shared with the Commuter Parking Advisory Committee on a daily basis for quick action. Checking parking permits would become a secondary responsibility that would take place during lulls in arriving and departing buses. * For the evening commute, we would need to rely on the current process of commuters to report violations to the CPAC and Parking Utility, both for immediate action and at monthly CPAC meetings with Suburban that includes the new data generated by the Customer Care Representatives. Ferraro: Succinctly, the Parking Utility needs to employ either a full time service auditor or more part time auditors to cover all the routes that are in service. Perhaps more oversight would encourage Suburban to more aggressively and proactively increase service for those runs that are currently experiencing overcrowding, such as the Crosstown runs. Q. What changes do you think should be made to the Parking Utility's or the bus services' operations? Korten: As the current fleet of rolling stock continues to age, Suburban has to be very mindful of fixing broken lights and burned out light bulbs. This problem is becoming more pronounced as it gets dark much earlier now. Also, drivers still are very inconsistent in appropriately informing riders of reasons and status of delays. Suburban should make adjustments to the ways it trains drivers, as well as make the appropriate investments in communication technology to enhance the flow of information. Ferraro: On paper, the operations appear to be satisfactory. The execution of those operations sometimes fails. Currently we (active CPAC members, myself included), closely monitor load factors in an attempt to alleviate overcrowding situations and waiting times. As stated above, adding an auditor and making structural changes to the facility could improve the operations of the facilities. Q: Ridership and parking revenue is down due to the decline in employment. What, if anything, might we be able to do to counteract this? Korten: First and foremost, we must ensure that a sufficient reserve continues to exist to help soften the blows of prolonged or cyclical downturns. Being creative in identifying new non-parking revenue streams is important. For example, allowing entrepreneurs to bid on selected spaces within Nielsen and TCC for services, such as the Concierge Service that just opened at TCC, should continue. Ferraro: Other than decreasing the cost of permits, which possibly could attract more ridership, there is little that could be done. Decreasing the price of the permits at this time would be counterproductive and until employment improves, I see no relief in sight. Q: Other towns in the area offer local shuttles to their major transit facilities such as train stations. Do you believe East Brunswick should consider such a possible option for Neilson Plaza or the TCC? Korten: This would be a challenging project, but is definitely worth exploring. If we can identify best practices from other communities and quantify true demand within a certain radius from TCC and Nielsen, then I would consider a pilot initiative to determine feasibility. Shuttle fees would have to be substantial enough, however, to cover operating costs of the program and all net proceeds would have to go the Parking Utility. The Shuttle may have to go to neighboring towns to increase potential ridership, and I assume would only be able to go to places and routes that Suburban does not support. Ferraro: At the present time, this would not be economically sound. Simply put, we cannot afford any such investment. Adding shuttle service on Route 18 would only add to the traffic; provide little benefit to the commuter unless shuttle service would obviate the need to park at the facility. This would not be financially beneficial to the Parking Utility; it could cause a drop in revenue and thus potentially increase the cost of parking permits. Q: Please supply any other commuter-oriented comments you have that you would like to share with commuters. Korten: By way of introduction for commuters who may not know me, Matt Korten, I have been taking Suburban buses to Downtown and Midtown for all of my 22 years living in East Brunswick. I was a member of the CPAC from 1989 to 1997, during which time the number of buses to NY greatly expanded, the quality of the service improved significantly, ticket prices were very competitive compared to other transportation options, and parking rates remained at $15 a month at TCC, where I continue to park. I have a proven track record of working very hard in addressing the needs of commuters. We did a lot of heavy lifting getting Suburban to improve the quality of service and increase the numbers of buses going to Downtown and Midtown, especially in the years of rapid growth in the late 1980s through much of the 1990s. I am the first commuter to be on the East Brunswick Township Council in many years, and I will continue to have your needs close to my heart going forward. I ask for your vote on Nov. 3rd. Thank you. Ferraro: I am extremely disappointed that none of the current Council members or the Mayor has shown any sustained interest in CPAC's activities. If I am elected, the commuters can be assured that they will receive ongoing and actively concerned attention to their issues.