Mandated HOV-3+ returning to Manhattan

[cpzilliacus]

N.Y. Post: Mayor mandates car passenger minimums in Manhattan

Mayor Bloomberg has announced three-passenger car minimums into and out of Manhattan except the George Washington Bridge beginning at 6 p.m. tonight.

"To reduce the number of cars coming into Manhattan, we had to take some steps. The streets just cannot handle the number of cars that have tried to come in," the mayor said today.

"I know it is inconvenient for a lot of people. But the bottom line is the streets can only handle so much."

[agentsteel53]

is this an emergency measure, or something permanent?

[cpzilliacus]

is this an emergency measure, or something permanent?

It was imposed for quite a while after the September 2001 attacks, but was eventually lifted.

[swbrotha100]

It should be temporary, at least until most of the mass transit in NYC gets back to normal.

The national media (on cable TV) keeps showing shots of gridlocked streets in Manhattan.

[Duke87]

It's "until further notice". That is to say, it's until all or at least most of the trains are running again.

I drove into Manhattan yesterday night and traffic was a breeze (here's a video I shot). But that was the day after the storm and most people were still staying home. Today it would seem a lot of people attempted to return to work in the city and caused ridiculous gridlock in doing so.

[empirestate]

Remarks from friends and colleagues tend to indicate 4-hour commutes or so, up from less than an hour. Buses are running essentially their full routes, and are obviously overtaxed. Relaxed livery rules (more than one fare per taxi, gypsy cabs permitted to pick up street hails) are also still in effect. Interestingly, parking meter and alternate side rules are suspended at least through tomorrow, so parking would be relatively easy for those private vehicles that can get in.

[cpzilliacus]

N.Y. Times: M.T.A.Waives Fares; Restrictions on Bridges in New York

Subways and buses started to roll again in some sections of New York City and cars jockeyed for passengers on Thursday, promising a commute slightly more fluid than Wednesday's gridlock brought on by Hurricane Sandy.

Not a moment too soon, the city's subway system lurched into motion at about 5:30 a.m., about a half-hour earlier than scheduled. Service was scheduled to resume on 14 of the city's 23 lines, but several – the No. 3 and 7 trains and the B, C, E, G and Q trains – remained dark. Many trains will have large gaps in their routes, including the No. 4 train, which will have no service between 42nd Street in Manhattan and Borough Hall in Brooklyn because of flooding in its tunnel beneath the East River and power problems.

[cpzilliacus]

N.Y. Times: In Brooklyn, Flagging Down Drivers: Faster Than the Bus

By 9:30 a.m., the lines outside the Barclays Center in Brooklyn for free shuttle buses into Manhattan were so long that city Transportation Department workers were reported to be flagging down Manhattan-bound motorists and asking them to pick up passengers from the overflow.

Impromptu carpooling was the order of the morning at the foot of the Brooklyn Bridge, too, with drivers needing passengers to meet the three-occupant minimum to get into Manhattan happy to offer rides to pedestrians heading for the bridge.

[empirestate]

N.Y. Times: M.T.A.Waives Fares; Restrictions on Bridges in New York

Subways and buses started to roll again in some sections of New York City and cars jockeyed for passengers on Thursday, promising a commute slightly more fluid than Wednesday's gridlock brought on by Hurricane Sandy.

Not a moment too soon, the city's subway system lurched into motion at about 5:30 a.m., about a half-hour earlier than scheduled. Service was scheduled to resume on 14 of the city's 23 lines, but several – the No. 3 and 7 trains and the B, C, E, G and Q trains – remained dark. Many trains will have large gaps in their routes, including the No. 4 train, which will have no service between 42nd Street in Manhattan and Borough Hall in Brooklyn because of flooding in its tunnel beneath the East River and power problems.

Lines in the Bronx and upper Manhattan (1, 2, 4) were rolling shortly after midnight.

N.Y. Times: In Brooklyn, Flagging Down Drivers: Faster Than the Bus

By 9:30 a.m., the lines outside the Barclays Center in Brooklyn for free shuttle buses into Manhattan were so long that city Transportation Department workers were reported to be flagging down Manhattan-bound motorists and asking them to pick up passengers from the overflow.

Impromptu carpooling was the order of the morning at the foot of the Brooklyn Bridge, too, with drivers needing passengers to meet the three-occupant minimum to get into Manhattan happy to offer rides to pedestrians heading for the bridge.

Time to institue some kind of official slugging program?

[cpzilliacus]

Time to institue some kind of official slugging program?

According to the N.Y. Times article I hyperlinked above, it seems that the municipal government of New York already has!

IMO, slugging is a cheap and effective way to move people, especially when they are all headed in the direction of a densely-developed (and fairly small) area like Manhattan.

[kphoger]

Time to institue some kind of official slugging program?

According to the N.Y. Times article I hyperlinked above, it seems that the municipal government of New York already has!

IMO, slugging is a cheap and effective way to move people, especially when they are all headed in the direction of a densely-developed (and fairly small) area like Manhattan.

Who needs it to be "official"?

[Interstatefan78]

That's a great idea, but Single occupant riders can't go on the Lincoln tunnel. For Example going from Secaucus,NJ up to 110th street in Manhattan usually involves using the Lincoln Tunnel, but single riders are forced to go to GWB (I-95) then take RT-9A up to the 95th street exit to reach Broadway and Amsterdam Ave.   

[Alps]

That's a great idea, but Single occupant riders can't go on the Lincoln tunnel. For Example going from Secaucus,NJ up to 110th street in Manhattan usually involves using the Lincoln Tunnel, but single riders are forced to go to GWB (I-95) then take RT-9A up to the 95th street exit to reach Broadway and Amsterdam Ave.   

No, single or double occupants just go to the Vince Lombardi Service Area, where there are plenty of people looking to complete the threesome.

[PHLBOS]

where there are plenty of people looking to complete the threesome.

You might want to word that a little differently lol. 

[BamaZeus]

where there are plenty of people looking to complete the threesome.

You might want to word that a little differently lol. 

What happens in rest area bathrooms STAYS in rest area bathrooms

[empirestate]

where there are plenty of people looking to complete the threesome.

You might want to word that a little differently lol. 

What happens in rest area bathrooms STAYS in rest area bathrooms

Especially if the toilet doesn't flush properly.

(Sorry...)

[Alps]

where there are plenty of people looking to complete the threesome.

You might want to word that a little differently lol. 

I stand by my statement.

[Interstatefan78]

That's a great idea, but Single occupant riders can't go on the Lincoln tunnel. For Example going from Secaucus,NJ up to 110th street in Manhattan usually involves using the Lincoln Tunnel, but single riders are forced to go to GWB (I-95) then take RT-9A up to the 95th street exit to reach Broadway and Amsterdam Ave.   

No, single or double occupants just go to the Vince Lombardi Service Area, where there are plenty of people looking to complete the threesome.

Another solution is to go off I-95 at exit 15x the secacus park and ride there they can take NJ transit trains up to NY Penn Station this will also reduce the single rider cars to exit at 16E (Lincoln Tunnel)

[rschen7754]

They rescinded the order at 5 PM local time today (Friday).

[jeffandnicole]

They rescinded the order at 5 PM local time today (Friday).

I believe that only applies to the Lincoln Tunnel.  Other crossings that were restricted to HOV-3 remain restricted.

[vdeane]

What would be the point of rescinding the order for the Lincoln Tunnel but not the others?

[cpzilliacus]

What would be the point of rescinding the order for the Lincoln Tunnel but not the others?

[This is speculative on my part]

Perhaps because the contraflow bus lane (running inbound to Manhattan from North Jersey) runs well without the HOV-3 restriction (buses only in that lane).  So opening the other lanes to all traffic means more toll revenue for the PANYNJ without slowing down peak-flow bus traffic there.

[vdeane]

Wait, the HOV-3 restriction is about bus flow?  I thought it was about forcing carpools to replace the subway.

[jeffandnicole]

It has to do with regulating traffic flow into the city based on the conditions presented.  On the NJ side, at the time, buses were able to use the Holland Tunnel and all other crossings were open.  Additional buses were brought in from the feds that allowed commuters to park their cars at several large parking lots, and those buses were transporting those people across the river or to ferries (for free). Thus, the HOV-3 restrictions were lifted.

From the NY side, there were still issues with subway service, so the restrictions remained.

It's all in relation to regulating traffic flow into the city, and it's subject to change daily...or even hourly.  If NYC wasn't comfortable handing the traffic flow, they'd keep the restrictions in place. 

[vdeane]

Clearly I don't understand the NYC driving culture.  If they want to regulate how much traffic is in Manhattan, they have some pretty big holes now.  If I wanted to drive solo in, I'd just go around.  It would be like enforcing a HOV road by placing a cop car at one entrance ramp and announcing to the world that that is all the enforcement you're doing - violators would just go around.