Background
Congestion Buster Task Force mandated by the Congestion
Relief and Trust Fund Renewal Act signed into law July
2000.
Consists
of 22 members representing the Department of Transportation,
New Jersey Transit, business organizations, Transportation
Management Associations, metropolitan planning organizations,
transportation advocacy groups and the public.
Primary
Goals of the Task Force are to develop a commuter options
plan resulting in peak hour trips being "capped"
at 1999 levels and identify ten projects which can be
quickly implemented to relieve congestion or improve
safety.
Work
Completed to Date
The first Task Force meeting was held June 2001; the
group has met six times through the month of December.
Presentations have assisted the Task Force in defining
congestion, understanding supply and demand-side issues;
identifying commuter incentives and disincentives to
reduce Single Occupancy Vehicle trips; and competing
congestion issues such as goods movement, Port access
and people movement. Established website for public
to e-mail their comments.
Next
Steps
Sub-committees are to develop draft recommendations
of potential solutions in the following categories:
The
recommendations will identify how the solution will
reduce congestion; who does it affect; its cost and
cost savings in other areas; implementation ideas and
whether legislation is required.
Major
areas of recommendations
The Task Force has identified major areas to focus recommendations.
1.
Transit capital needed to match its capacity issues
Without needed capacity to keep up with existing overcrowding,
and to provide new capacity, it is impossible to provide
an attractive choice for commuters who could make
public transit their choice. Is public transit a choice
for people who travel within New Jersey (rather than
to NYC), and do employers and employees know enough
about public transit?
2.
Land use & transportation planning
The Long Range Transportation Plan (20 years) and
the State Plan have done analysis that show that decision
making which considers land use decisions and regional
planning issues in concert with each other, can reduce
travel. A project to coordinate regional decision-making
is needed.
3.
Strengthen role of TMAs with employers to encourage
ridsesharing, commute options and provide links where
transit does not go.
Support for Transportation Management Associations
(TMAs) to assist employers, increase incentives and
disincentives, understand pricing and provide cross-employer
car pooling commute options where public transit doesn't
work, is needed.
4.
Telecommuting, and alternate work programs such as
Flex-time
Being flexible with work start and stop times, increasing
alternative work week strategies that can reduce,
or entirely remove a day of work trips for everyone
is a strategy that will reduce trips. What are the
strategies that work best for different businesses
and industries? We need to find the private sector
solutions that are working, document them and help
to invest in the new "work place" options.
5.
Educate the public and employers about transit choices
and availability
6.
Peak hour drivers - who shouldn't be driving; students,
discretionary trips
7.
Goods movement, variable pricing, traffic management
Final
Report
Expected to be delivered July 1, 2002
