Recently, the Port Authority of NY and NJ closed the HOV access lane to the Lincoln Tunnel and now only allows buses through that lane.
Local news coverage of this storyThis change affected many carpools traveling into New York City.
A spokeswoman for the Port Authority has said that despite all of the complaints, they have no plans to reverse the policy. They claim that the cost of staffing one person at the booth - an estimated $100,000 a year(!!?!!) is not justified since it services only an estimated 200 commuters.
Without a lot of research, I was able to add up more than 200 people from my small city alone! There must be thousands of people that have to wait in traffic and either wait for a cash lane (adding 20 min to the trip) or choosing to forgo the discount and reduce the delay a bit by using the regular ez pass lane.
This decision was not thought out and we need to make our voices heard and get this thing resolved.
Mr. Shaff,
I hope this message find you well.
we wanted to let you know that your decision to close the carpool lane in the Lincoln Tunnel has affected many more people than the MTA's estimated 200 people.
Commuters have been using this carpool method to travel through the tunnel to NYC for decades and this decision has abruptly and effectively damaged the great benefits carpooling provides commuters and the environment.
We therefore respectively request that you reconsider this decision.
Sincerely,
