By David Matthau February 14, 2016 10:01 PM
New Jersey Transit and 11 rail unions head back to the bargaining table this week, trying to avert a strike that could start the second weekend in March.
A NJ Transit conductor waits for passengers to board the NJ Transit train from New York Penn Station to Trenton, NJ on May 13, 2015 in New York City.
If rail workers do walk out, New Jersey commuters could face a nightmare scenario, according to Tracy Noble, the manager of public and government affairs for AAA Mid-Atlantic.
“If you think your commute right now is bad, once those people that typically take transit are additional drivers on our roadways, the commute time is going to have catastrophic results. You could be looking at a commute that takes upwards of two to three hours when it only typically took you a 45 minute short train ride, bus ride,” she said. “The impact of people not being able to use transit to get to their place of business is going to be detrimental to our infrastructure.”
NJ State Senate President Steve Sweeney admits he’s extremely concerned about the situation.
“We want more people to take mass transportation, not less,” he said. “We’re very concerned about that and I know there’s been 2 federal panels commissioned at this point, but no solution yet.”
He also said out a transit strike will only sour even more Jersey commuters on NJ Transit, and many are unhappy with the agency already.
“The 9 percent rate hike didn’t help, the 9 percent rate hike actually hurt, and the more expensive you make mass transportation the less attractive it is for people to take it,” he said.
Noble said this is a serious situation and commuters should begin preparing for service disruptions in case a strike occurs
Read More: Looming NJ Transit rail strike could cause commuter chaos | https://nj1015.com/looming-nj-transit-rail-strike-could-cause-commuter-chaos/?trackback=tsmclip
