Commuter tells council switch has been a hassle
Some say parking changes have made for longer commute
BY VINCENT TODARO Staff Writer

EAST BRUNSWICK - The shifting of several hundred commuters from one Route 18 park-and-ride to another this month has some voicing concerns about a more time-consuming trek to work.

About 340 daily parkers had to make the switch from the township's Transportation and Commerce Center (TCC) to the Tower Center parking deck, where the township operates the Neilson Plaza parking garage. The move was made so that construction could begin on a six-story commuter deck at TCC that will bring more parking spaces and better amenities to commuters.

The TCC commuters who have monthly permits are allowed to continue parking at TCC during construction, but the daily parkers were moved on Sept. 4 to two levels at the Tower Center, above the Neilson levels.

Some who still use the TCC have posted notes on the township's commuter parking message board stating that the buses are fewer at TCC since the daily parkers left, and that they are arriving at work up to a half hour late as a result. Some complaints have centered on a change in the pickup time for one route, from 6:15 to 6:25 a.m. A representative of Suburban Transit, which provides bus service to the township, posted a response that the service is being monitored and changes may be made.

Meanwhile, daily parkers who made the switch to the Tower Center have complained about the time it takes to park, get an elevator, board a bus and arrive in New York on time.

One daily parking commuter now using the Tower Center addressed the Township Council on Monday night, saying she has also found it more difficult to arrive at work in New York City on time due to the switch.

Madeline Molinari said she has to get up earlier to get to work at the same time as before. She used to leave home at 6:50 a.m. and take the 7:20 a.m. bus, arriving at Grand Central Station between 8:25 and 8:40 a.m.

"Now I am leaving my house at 6:30, catching a 7:08 bus from Neilson and arriving at Grand Central Station between 8:25 and 8:40," she said. "I have not been able to figure out how this has happened. Someone needs to take a look at the havoc that moving all the daily parkers has created."

Molinari also said safety is an issue. Calling the parking and traffic conditions above the fifth floor at the Tower Center "horrendous," she said it has led to "several near misses in the morning involving two cars or a person and a car."

She said one way to ameliorate the problem is to re-stripe the parking spaces so they are straight rather than slanted. This would stop the frequent K-turns being made by drivers to get into the angled parking.

Township Finance Director L. Mason Neely, who runs the township's parking utility, responded to Molinari's comments. Regarding the overall problems related to the switch, he said her views may not be indicative of how most commuters feel. He said he realizes that a "few" commuters have issues with the move, but that Molinari made it seem like everyone does.

Due to the start of construction on the new TCC, there was an urgent need to relocate the daily parkers on a temporary basis, perhaps for one year. The construction is supposed to be "substantially complete" by this time next year, according to township officials.

Neely said the sixth and seventh floors of the Tower Center have a different design than the bottom five, which are owned by East Brunswick (the township is leasing the two higher levels being used by the daily TCC parkers). He acknowledged that the area is "not the safest, or the most dangerous," but that it has been used for parking for many years without any major problems.

Molinari said she was assured that the elevators at the Tower Center deck "never break down," but one elevator was out of service the entire week of Sept. 10-14.

Neely responded that the elevators at Neilson are 18 years old, and though it is rare, they do break down occasionally. They are serviced once a month, he said. He did acknowledge that one elevator was down for a week as the township waited for a new part.

Another commuter, Camille Ferraro, took issue with the characterization that Molinari was exaggerating the displeasure of daily parkers. She said that although few people attend the council meetings to voice complaints, many may share their concerns.