Congestion Buster Task Force

Meeting Minutes

NJDOT Multi-Purpose Room, Ewing, NJ

June 5, 2001

• Statutory Mandate - C.27:1B-21.26 Congestion Buster Task Force (CBTF)
• CBTF Questions & Answers
• Recurring congestion and nonrecurring congestion
• Supply, demand and land use management
• Report to Legislature on Single Occupant Vehicle Trip Reduction
• Report to Legislature on Telecommuting in New Jersey

• Congestion is not one size fits all in New Jersey. There are many different perspectives; problems in North Jersey are different than problems in South Jersey.
• Population in New Jersey is forecasted to grow by more than one million people in the next 20 years. Approximately 800,000 new jobs will be created.
• Other states, such as California, are focusing on the issue of congestion. The Task Force should draw upon many sources of information when conducting their study.

• The Task Force will serve as an advisory body and is not subject to the public meetings law.
• Jim Sinclair of NJBIA was selected Chairperson of the CBTF after nominations and a show of hands from the floor.
• NJDOT will act as secretary of the CBTF and coordinate its tasks. All members should send organizational and speaker suggestions to Pippa Woods, as Secretary.
• Resources and staff of NJDOT are available to the Task Force. NJDOT staff present at the meeting introduced themselves.
• E-mail was chosen as the preferred means of communication. An e-mail address list was circulated among the members.
• Action-oriented minutes will be prepared by the secretary and distributed via e-mail.
• Meetings will most likely be held monthly. Preferred meeting days, times and locations were briefly discussed. A questionnaire on these preferences was distributed to the members.
• No decision on specific sub-committees was made, although they will likely be formed and may evolve gradually. Conduct of meetings and rules of order will be established in the future.
• Members may have alternates or assistants attend meetings and help with tasks. The official members of the Task Force will be expected to participate in the group's final product (report to the legislature).

• Several members were concerned about the statutory language regarding "capping" trips at 1999 levels. The CBTF must define this 1999 baseline. NJDOT will assist by supplying data in this area.
• Should final product stay within the wording of the statute (commuter options plans and peak-hour vehicles) or can it be broadened to include topics such as tourist travel and freight trips.
• Members should come up with practical, workable solutions.
• The first three months should be used as an educational process for CBTF members. The following organizations were identified as resources: NJDOT, NJ Transit, Transcom, TMAs, MPOs and the State Planning Commission.
• The implementation plan may include a variety of time frames (short, medium and long-range); legislative recommendations and projects that can be quickly implemented are both suitable for inclusion in the CBTF's report.

• Each member to identify/develop their list of "10 congestion hot spots" or issues.
• Update of what NJDOT is doing - Transportation Demand Management (TDM), Congestion Corridors and Hot Spots
• Think about what works and what doesn't work throughout the state and nationally
• Think about speakers, presentations, sources of information from both within and outside the membership.

• July 11th at 1:00 p.m. at NJDOT
• August 7th at 9:30 a.m. at NJDOT

Attendees:

Task Force Members:

Invited Guests:

DOT Staff: