Clues but No Full Account of Order That Turned a N.J. Town Into a Parking Lot

[cpzilliacus]

Edited to add:
Just to clarify, even the best traffic engineer can make a mistake, but if dangerous gridlock resulted on Day 1, the study should have been terminated immediately. But it sounds as if this wasn't really even a real traffic engineering study, that politician aides without the authority to conduct such studies decided to practice engineering without a license. I would have to say that i would be shocked if there were an actual study document, laying out the experiment, that had no provision for terminating the study if gridlock resulted. At the very least, they should have tried closing 1 lane instead of 2, and if that had okay results, then go down to one lane and see what happens. But from 3 to 1 at a heavily used ramp with no means for terminating the experiment if it fails....something is fishy. I doubt any engineer with experience would have thought this would be a good idea.

I suggested previously that there are a lot of traffic simulation programs on the market that could be used to simulate the impact of shutting-off or limiting access from Fort Lee to the GWB toll plaza.

I very much question the technical need to actually do a shut-down, at least until data are collected and a simulation model developed and run - first.

[_Simon]

I think studies should be done to find out how it got to the point where the loss of two side streets immediately causes a major local emergency.  Do we really have that big of a lack of redundancy?  Are the roads that close to capacity?  Maybe if someone built another Hudson crossing sometime in the last few decades, one town would not be able to be brought to a stop by such a simple closure.  What if the closure was part of an accident or disaster?  What if it was worse?

[jeffandnicole]

Study not needed.  A metropolitian area of 20 million people is not going to escape traffic issues if another crossing was built.  Since traffic is already congested on both sides of the river, there's no place to put the traffic anyway.  Heck - there's no place to put the crossing or the roads to get people to the crossing.

Yes, not only are the roads that close to capacity, they are at capacity much of the day.

And this isn't your typical "side street"...it carries more traffic than many interstate highways.

[DeaconG]

Well, it's begun:

http://politicslive.cnn.com/Event/Christie_news_conference_2?hpt=hp_t1

Deputy chief of staff terminated, another aide has a major choke chain put on him, and Christie is going to Fort Lee to personally apologize to the mayor.

[hbelkins]

Here is a brief take on this incident that I posted elsewhere:

Politically, this is much ado about nothing and appears to be an attempt by the left-leaning mainstream media to take out a potential GOP presidential candidate early in the game. I think it's a stretch to say that this will, or should, be a major sticking point in Christie's campaign if he runs for president. As of now, this appears to be an operation run by a couple of rogue staffers. If Christie had nothing to do with it, I would think that securing the resignations of those who orchestrated it will solve the problem and this will go away in two weeks, to be replaced by some other scandal du jour.

As for the incident itself, I think it's comical that the traffic jams were engineered as political payback for a mayor who didn't support Christie's gubernatorial re-election campaign. The mayor is not the one who suffered. It was the people of Fort Lee who suffered. From all the documents that have been released, it appears as if the mayor worked really hard to get the problem resolved, thus making him look better in the eyes of his constituency. I don't see how the Christie staffers thought that snarling traffic in Fort Lee would be proper revenge on the mayor for not supporting Christie. Their logic was faulty.

[Zeffy]

As for the incident itself, I think it's comical that the traffic jams were engineered as political payback for a mayor who didn't support Christie's gubernatorial re-election campaign. The mayor is not the one who suffered. It was the people of Fort Lee who suffered. From all the documents that have been released, it appears as if the mayor worked really hard to get the problem resolved, thus making him look better in the eyes of his constituency. I don't see how the Christie staffers thought that snarling traffic in Fort Lee would be proper revenge on the mayor for not supporting Christie. Their logic was faulty.

I don't think it's comical seeing as how someone couldn't get medical attention and died in an ambulance. I don't think Christie is at fault here - though he did the right thing and fired the hell out of Bridget Anne Kelly, and he's taking the appropriate steps to rectify the problem. 

[corco]

I agree that this is one of those "scandals" that nobody will remember or care about a month from now- I think this has no impact on a potential presidential campaign. This is just like the Obama IRS issue a few months back- people who support him will blame rogue actors and people who dislike him will blame him and the indifferent folks in the middle wont worry about it.

[realjd]

One thing I haven't been able to find: a map. What lanes were actually closed?

[NE2]

One thing I haven't been able to find: a map. What lanes were actually closed?

http://www.northjersey.com/fortlee/GWB_emails_Christie_Fort_lee_mayor.html
Traffic using that onramp (and the one from Center Avenue?) was limited to the far right toll lane.

[Jardine]

The whole thought process behind the lane closures I find mysterious.  Wouldn't Republicans be caught up in the traffic snarl too?  Were they polled to see if they were willing to take a hit along with the evil misguided communist left wing liberal God denying socialist Democrats ??

I would not eagerly waste time in a traffic jam even to support some very good causes, say for instance, curing cancer, alms for the poor, or getting more skin on HBO . . . .

[Brandon]

One thing I haven't been able to find: a map. What lanes were actually closed?

http://www.northjersey.com/fortlee/GWB_emails_Christie_Fort_lee_mayor.html
Traffic using that onramp (and the one from Center Avenue?) was limited to the far right toll lane.

What a shitty design.  It's nothing that open road tolling wouldn't solve.  Why have eastern bridges and toll authorities been so slow in adopting ORT?

[hbelkins]

I don't think it's comical seeing as how someone couldn't get medical attention and died in an ambulance. I don't think Christie is at fault here - though he did the right thing and fired the hell out of Bridget Anne Kelly, and he's taking the appropriate steps to rectify the problem.

The result wasn't comical. What I found laughable was the (lack of) logic behind it; that traffic problems would somehow hurt the mayor. It wasn't the mayor who got hurt, but his constituency. From everything I've seen, it appears that the mayor handled the situation very well in trying to get it resolved.

(Someone else had the same reaction to my comment about it on Facebook, so I must not have explained myself very well).

[bing101]

This is Not the first time a bridge was closed for political reasons. See 1993 Bay Bridge incident

http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/3-free-days-on-Bay-Bridge-to-atone-for-DJ-haircut-3123363.php

[mtantillo]

One thing I haven't been able to find: a map. What lanes were actually closed?

http://www.northjersey.com/fortlee/GWB_emails_Christie_Fort_lee_mayor.html
Traffic using that onramp (and the one from Center Avenue?) was limited to the far right toll lane.

What a shitty design.  It's nothing that open road tolling wouldn't solve.  Why have eastern bridges and toll authorities been so slow in adopting ORT?

Lots of out of state traffic, more so than in Texas where most users are from Texas, etc. Plus in NY people wouldn't pay. The state have very limited ability to force people from out of state to pay, registration suspensions or holds only work in- State.

Remember NY has to use gates on its subway, can't trust people to pay on a proof I payment system.

[US71]

I don't see how the Christie staffers thought that snarling traffic in Fort Lee would be proper revenge on the mayor for not supporting Christie. Their logic was faulty.

My 2 pfennigs: heads will roll, scapegoats will be blamed, but the truth will likely never be fully known.

[mtantillo]

I think he is definitely lying. He said in a news conference that he discovered the allegations in the newspaper.....wait for it......"after his workout."

[Brandon]

One thing I haven't been able to find: a map. What lanes were actually closed?

http://www.northjersey.com/fortlee/GWB_emails_Christie_Fort_lee_mayor.html
Traffic using that onramp (and the one from Center Avenue?) was limited to the far right toll lane.

What a shitty design.  It's nothing that open road tolling wouldn't solve.  Why have eastern bridges and toll authorities been so slow in adopting ORT?

Lots of out of state traffic, more so than in Texas where most users are from Texas, etc. Plus in NY people wouldn't pay. The state have very limited ability to force people from out of state to pay, registration suspensions or holds only work in- State.

Remember NY has to use gates on its subway, can't trust people to pay on a proof I payment system.

I still don't see why such a ramp could not be E-Z Pass only or E-Z Pass plus a single cash lane (2 lanes total) to facilitate traffic flow.  We have a lot of out of state users on the Illinois Tollway system, but only some of them need to use the cash lanes.  Plus, this toll plaza is in New Jersey, not New York, so I would think New Jersey laws would apply.  Do they not use cameras to catch toll violators in New Jersey?

[NE2]

Some of the ramps (but not this one) are EZ-Pass only at night. When the Goog was through, one of the three Christie Lanes was EZ-Pass only: http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=40.853934,-73.966881&spn=0.006581,0.014173&gl=us&t=k&z=17&layer=c&cbll=40.854007,-73.966802&panoid=RFpvjRhyO47x2oew4Juxtg&cbp=12,72.69,,0,14.06

Here's a view of these lanes being used only for the Fort Lee entrance: http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=40.854202,-73.967375&spn=0.006581,0.014173&gl=us&t=k&z=17&layer=c&cbll=40.854085,-73.967016&panoid=eUgFz6jOArEmhY0n39yf1A&cbp=12,86.33,,1,1.8

[mtantillo]

One thing I haven't been able to find: a map. What lanes were actually closed?

http://www.northjersey.com/fortlee/GWB_emails_Christie_Fort_lee_mayor.html
Traffic using that onramp (and the one from Center Avenue?) was limited to the far right toll lane.

What a shitty design.  It's nothing that open road tolling wouldn't solve.  Why have eastern bridges and toll authorities been so slow in adopting ORT?

Lots of out of state traffic, more so than in Texas where most users are from Texas, etc. Plus in NY people wouldn't pay. The state have very limited ability to force people from out of state to pay, registration suspensions or holds only work in- State.

Remember NY has to use gates on its subway, can't trust people to pay on a proof I payment system.

I still don't see why such a ramp could not be E-Z Pass only or E-Z Pass plus a single cash lane (2 lanes total) to facilitate traffic flow.  We have a lot of out of state users on the Illinois Tollway system, but only some of them need to use the cash lanes.  Plus, this toll plaza is in New Jersey, not New York, so I would think New Jersey laws would apply.  Do they not use cameras to catch toll violators in New Jersey?

There is enough traffic to require 3 lanes at that entrance.  Even 2 would probably cause much more traffic for local people than time it would save for I-95 traffic.  Locals lose 1/3 of their toll lanes, I-95 gains 11% extra capacity. 

The Fort Lee entrance cannot be converted to AET (at least not until the GWB goes all AET as a whole), because that ramp is actually the overnight detour for cash customers coming from the Palisades Parkway.  The Palisades plaza is E-ZPass only overnight, and those with cash are directed to this ramp.  The idea is to concentrate all the toll personnel at one toll plaza overnight (and the Fort Lee ramp is technically the same plaza as the upper level plaza, only cones separate the lanes). 

I think the reason why agencies are reluctant to implement AET is this: for ORT where you give people the option to pay cash, it is a violation to pass through without a tag, at that moment.  A fine is assessed, and with a $50 fine, the police will look at all options to track you down.  With AET and no option to pay cash, there is no fine, just a slightly marked up toll (an extra $2 processing fee for example).  With only $2, that is not enough to go after people who don't voluntarily pay up...so much so that many toll agencies give "free rides" to those from out of state.  But in Texas, a tiny percentage is from out of state...on the GWB a good chunk is from outside of NY/NJ.  So many of those tolls go uncollected...and they can't fine you because they were the ones who determined it wasn't worth their money to track you down and send a bill. 

Now as more toll passes become interoperable this will be less of an issue.  And also, as states have agreenments to pass DMV info on to each other and do registration blocks on each other's citizens, etc., this will becomes less of an issue.  Many east coast agencies are looking at AET, but just aren't quite there yet: MassDOT, MTA in NY, PANYNJ, PA Turnpike, AC Expressway...they are looking at it right now. 

[jeffandnicole]

One thing I haven't been able to find: a map. What lanes were actually closed?

http://www.northjersey.com/fortlee/GWB_emails_Christie_Fort_lee_mayor.html
Traffic using that onramp (and the one from Center Avenue?) was limited to the far right toll lane.

What a shitty design.  It's nothing that open road tolling wouldn't solve.  Why have eastern bridges and toll authorities been so slow in adopting ORT?

Lots of out of state traffic, more so than in Texas where most users are from Texas, etc. Plus in NY people wouldn't pay. The state have very limited ability to force people from out of state to pay, registration suspensions or holds only work in- State.

Remember NY has to use gates on its subway, can't trust people to pay on a proof I payment system.

I still don't see why such a ramp could not be E-Z Pass only or E-Z Pass plus a single cash lane (2 lanes total) to facilitate traffic flow.  We have a lot of out of state users on the Illinois Tollway system, but only some of them need to use the cash lanes.  Plus, this toll plaza is in New Jersey, not New York, so I would think New Jersey laws would apply.  Do they not use cameras to catch toll violators in New Jersey?

Remember - this toll bridge opened in 1931. The lower level opened in the early 60's.  Open Road tolling wasn't a thought back then.  And this isn't the only toll plaza for the bridge.  There are 3 plazas all together.  Most eastern states' toll roads are decades old.  Just retrofitting them for Express tolling is a major and expensive undertaking.  There's also the issues of unions to be looked at.  A toll authority could say "screw you, we're laying you all off and eliminating all toll positions", but then the maintenance staff will say "fine, we will picket and not work either". 

This bridge sees nearly 300,000 vehicles come through a day.  If 20% didn't have EZ Pass, that's 60,000 vehicles that would need to have their license plates looked up and a bill sent to.

Using the GSM view in the linked article, 2 of the 3 lanes were cash at the time, 1 was EZ Pass.  But, that view also wasn't taken during rush hour, when every lane approaching the bridge would be jammed.  If ORT was in use, the bridge would be jammed because the NY side of the river couldn't handle all the traffic coming through.

As far as the toll plaza being located in NJ, that's relatively meaningless.  The toll authorities tend to be bi-state authorities, and the authorities have rules about which state laws must be followed.  If the PANYNJ is headquartered in New York, they may have to follow NY laws.  If they follow NJ laws, the same issues would apply if they aren't permitted to suspend licenses of out-of-state drivers.  And yes, they do use cameras.

I know, not from the area, this all seems like stuff that can be easily overcome.  It can't.  It's just the area and how the area works and what the residents of the area expect.

[Brandon]

I still don't see why such a ramp could not be E-Z Pass only or E-Z Pass plus a single cash lane (2 lanes total) to facilitate traffic flow.  We have a lot of out of state users on the Illinois Tollway system, but only some of them need to use the cash lanes.  Plus, this toll plaza is in New Jersey, not New York, so I would think New Jersey laws would apply.  Do they not use cameras to catch toll violators in New Jersey?

Remember - this toll bridge opened in 1931. The lower level opened in the early 60's.  Open Road tolling wasn't a thought back then.  And this isn't the only toll plaza for the bridge.  There are 3 plazas all together.  Most eastern states' toll roads are decades old.  Just retrofitting them for Express tolling is a major and expensive undertaking.  There's also the issues of unions to be looked at.  A toll authority could say "screw you, we're laying you all off and eliminating all toll positions", but then the maintenance staff will say "fine, we will picket and not work either". 

This bridge sees nearly 300,000 vehicles come through a day.  If 20% didn't have EZ Pass, that's 60,000 vehicles that would need to have their license plates looked up and a bill sent to.

Using the GSM view in the linked article, 2 of the 3 lanes were cash at the time, 1 was EZ Pass.  But, that view also wasn't taken during rush hour, when every lane approaching the bridge would be jammed.  If ORT was in use, the bridge would be jammed because the NY side of the river couldn't handle all the traffic coming through.

As far as the toll plaza being located in NJ, that's relatively meaningless.  The toll authorities tend to be bi-state authorities, and the authorities have rules about which state laws must be followed.  If the PANYNJ is headquartered in New York, they may have to follow NY laws.  If they follow NJ laws, the same issues would apply if they aren't permitted to suspend licenses of out-of-state drivers.  And yes, they do use cameras.

I know, not from the area, this all seems like stuff that can be easily overcome.  It can't.  It's just the area and how the area works and what the residents of the area expect.

Doesn't mean it cannot be converted.  The Illinois State Toll Highway Authority (ISTHA) converted the entire system to ORT in the early 2000s.  Much of this mileage (Tri-State, Northwest, East-West) was opened in 1958.  The original system had barriers like the one at the GWB.  ISTHA solved the problem by having cash lanes off to the side of the ORT lanes.  Usually there is also an I-Pass lane with the cash lanes as there is an exit/entrance that can only be accessed via the toll plaza cash lanes.

ISTHA also doesn't fine every violator immediately.  Usually they wait until the violator has gone through multiple toll plazas without paying.  Enough to mark them as a chronic toll violator.  A lot of the out of state ones will slip through on this.  However, they do go after Indiana and Wisconsin violators as much as they do Illinois violators.

They also, IIRC, have a toll collector union (Chicago is a big a hotbed of unionism as are a lot of east coast areas), and yet they were able to implement ORT with cash lanes.  A lot of what was eliminated were the automatic lanes, the coin buckets.

Here's an example on the Tri-State Tollway of a converted toll plaza with an exit that can only be taken through the toll plaza: Cermak Road Plaza 35.  The original plaza location dates to 1958 and was rebuilt in the 1990s with the ORT lanes pushed through in the 2000s.

Some of the ramps (but not this one) are EZ-Pass only at night. When the Goog was through, one of the three Christie Lanes was EZ-Pass only: http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=40.853934,-73.966881&spn=0.006581,0.014173&gl=us&t=k&z=17&layer=c&cbll=40.854007,-73.966802&panoid=RFpvjRhyO47x2oew4Juxtg&cbp=12,72.69,,0,14.06

Here's a view of these lanes being used only for the Fort Lee entrance: http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=40.854202,-73.967375&spn=0.006581,0.014173&gl=us&t=k&z=17&layer=c&cbll=40.854085,-73.967016&panoid=eUgFz6jOArEmhY0n39yf1A&cbp=12,86.33,,1,1.8

Dang, that's a lot of scout cars parked in that porkchop.  One would think that if the lanes are dedicated that concrete barriers might be a better choice than cones.

[J N Winkler]

The Fort Lee emails (redacted) are here:

http://dng.northjersey.com/media_server/tr/2014/01/09gwb/port_authority_2014.pdf

Of interest is a September 13 email from David Wildstein to Bridget Anne Kelly, who has now been fired, noting that officials on the New York side (presumably working for the Port Authority) had re-opened the two closed lanes to clear the congestion.  Wildstein noted that he had "fixed" this by ordering the two lanes closed again.  This proves mens rea:  not only were they deliberately sabotaging traffic flow, they were actively working to prevent the sabotage from being repaired.

[NE2]

Some of the ramps (but not this one) are EZ-Pass only at night. When the Goog was through, one of the three Christie Lanes was EZ-Pass only: http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=40.853934,-73.966881&spn=0.006581,0.014173&gl=us&t=k&z=17&layer=c&cbll=40.854007,-73.966802&panoid=RFpvjRhyO47x2oew4Juxtg&cbp=12,72.69,,0,14.06

Here's a view of these lanes being used only for the Fort Lee entrance: http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=40.854202,-73.967375&spn=0.006581,0.014173&gl=us&t=k&z=17&layer=c&cbll=40.854085,-73.967016&panoid=eUgFz6jOArEmhY0n39yf1A&cbp=12,86.33,,1,1.8

Dang, that's a lot of scout cars parked in that porkchop.  One would think that if the lanes are dedicated that concrete barriers might be a better choice than cones.

Look again at the first image - the line of cones is discontinuous at that time, meaning that traffic from the main lanes can use the Christie Booths.

[mtantillo]

Some of the ramps (but not this one) are EZ-Pass only at night. When the Goog was through, one of the three Christie Lanes was EZ-Pass only: http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=40.853934,-73.966881&spn=0.006581,0.014173&gl=us&t=k&z=17&layer=c&cbll=40.854007,-73.966802&panoid=RFpvjRhyO47x2oew4Juxtg&cbp=12,72.69,,0,14.06

Here's a view of these lanes being used only for the Fort Lee entrance: http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=40.854202,-73.967375&spn=0.006581,0.014173&gl=us&t=k&z=17&layer=c&cbll=40.854085,-73.967016&panoid=eUgFz6jOArEmhY0n39yf1A&cbp=12,86.33,,1,1.8

Dang, that's a lot of scout cars parked in that porkchop.  One would think that if the lanes are dedicated that concrete barriers might be a better choice than cones.

Look again at the first image - the line of cones is discontinuous at that time, meaning that traffic from the main lanes can use the Christie Booths.

The cones are continuous at rush hour.

[Brandon]

The Fort Lee emails (redacted) are here:

http://dng.northjersey.com/media_server/tr/2014/01/09gwb/port_authority_2014.pdf

Of interest is a September 13 email from David Wildstein to Bridget Anne Kelly, who has now been fired, noting that officials on the New York side (presumably working for the Port Authority) had re-opened the two closed lanes to clear the congestion.  Wildstein noted that he had "fixed" this by ordering the two lanes closed again.  This proves mens rea:  not only were they deliberately sabotaging traffic flow, they were actively working to prevent the sabotage from being repaired.

It looks pretty damning.  Reminds me of the "fucking golden" quote from Blago among other infamous quotes from Chicago politicians.