Tag: NJT

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NJ TRANSIT ISSUES SAFETY ADVISORY ON SAMSUNG GALAXY NOTE7

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Strongly Urges Customers Not to Use or Charge the Device Onboard Vehicles or in Facilities

September 13, 2016

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, Following safety concerns raised by Samsung about its Galaxy Note7, NJ TRANSIT is strongly urging all customers not to use or charge the mobile device on board trains, buses, light rail vehicles or in stations and facilities.

“We are asking our customers who have the Galaxy Note7, to simply turn it off before entering an NJ TRANSIT facility or boarding a vehicle.” said interim Executive Director Dennis Martin.  “Because of the uncertainties surrounding this device, we are issuing this precautionary advisory to ensure the safety of all of our customers.”

The Samsung Galaxy Note7 has been the subject of numerous accounts of the batteries bursting into flames.  Both Samsung and the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission are urging owners to power down these devices and stop charging or using them.

“NJ TRANSIT is urging our customers to do the responsible thing and heed the manufacturer’s advice to power down the Galaxy Note7” said Gardner Tabon, Chief of NJ TRANSIT’s Office of System Safety.  “This is especially critical when riding a transit system along with hundreds of thousands of others.”

NJ TRANSIT has not had any reported cases of a Samsung Galaxy Note7 becoming a fire hazard.  In February 2016, NJ TRANSIT restricted customers and employees from using, charging, storing or transporting hoverboards following similar fire safety concerns.

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The New Jersey Transit Police Department Arrest Man in Assault of Train Conductor

Ridgewood Train Station
September 14,2016

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, The New Jersey Transit Police Department arrested a man who assaulted a train conductor Sunday on the Bergen line after being asked for a train ticket.

22-year-old Peer Fikhman, who is an Israeli citizen, was arrested and charged with aggravated assault on a conductor and theft of services for non-payment of fare.

At approximately 2:40 p.m. Sunday, September 11, Fikhman boarded a train at the Radburn Station. He hid in a restroom to avoid a conductor collecting tickets from customers.  Fikhman exited the restroom after 25 minutes and punched the conductor in the face when asked for his ticket.

New Jersey Transit Police were called and met the train at Secaucus Junction, where Fikhman was arrested and charged.  The conductor had a visible mark on his face but refused medical attention.

Fikhman was taken to the Hudson County Jail, where bail was set at $5,000 with a
10 percent option. He was still being held at the jail as of late this afternoon.

Aggravated assault on a train conductor, who is clearly identifiable and engaged in the course of his duties, carries up to five years in prison and fines up to $7,500.  Theft of service carries a jail term of up to one year.

The charges and allegations contained in this release are merely accusations and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

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Reader here is some more sobering news for Ridgewood

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file photo by Boyd Loving

The economic argument above is all I needed to counter your complete fantasy of $1MM houses being in great demand, but let me also comment on the rest.

2. The 40 years that you claim to have been in Ridgewood for happened to be the 40 years when the financial sector exploded in size, and NYC being the financial center benefited tremendously. Additionally, home ownership steadily increased to an all time high in 2004. Unless you have not read the news for 8 year now – all of that is GONE. That is history. Finance is rapidly shrinking, homeownership is at lower than it has ever been since 1984. This despite mortgage rate being lower than it has been in forever.

3. Those ‘arbitrary rankings’ are what new homeonwers make their decision based on. And who will I believe – what multiple magazines claim or what you claim? And how is it that school districts like Short Hills, West Windsor and Tenafly are unaffected by the randomness of those surveys?

4. If taxes were already ‘high’ shouldn’t they stop rising then? What is the logic of already ‘high’ taxes going even higher – for no additional services whatsoever?

5. For a vast majority of people without money to burn, it is a rational decision based on their own income and costs vs. quality of services. I just pointed out that the equation is very unfavorable right now when it comes to Ridgewood.

6. The long view is that the state of NJ is bankrupt given how horribly underfunded its pensions are. Militant union will not let their benefits be haircut. So you are looking at combination of significantly higher taxes, fewer services and constant disruptions from striking unions. Math is math. The bill will come due – the can can only be kicked down just so much further down the road!

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Next Month NJT will increase the number of gates during weekday PM peak hours to Ridgewood

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Departure Gate Changes to Increase Efficiency

August 23, 2016
the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ,  Following the success of last year’s reorganization and consolidation of services within the Port Authority Bus Terminal, NJ TRANSIT is again partnering with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey for Phase Two of improvements to the quality of commute.

Beginning September 3rd, 2016, NJ TRANSIT will have access to an increased number of gates during weekday PM peak hours. To take advantage of the opportunity to further enhance service reliability, reduce congestion on platforms, and improve the overall customer experience, 12 bus routes will have new departure gate assignments, primarily during the afternoon peak.  These adjustments will further improve on-time performance and reduce customer queues and wait times within the terminal, especially for weekday PM peak hour departures.

“Since beginning this process last fall of rethinking how we operate at the Port Authority Bus Terminal, we’ve heard a tremendous amount of positive feedback,” said interim NJ TRANSIT Executive Director Dennis Martin.  “The bottom line for our customers is that they want a safe, convenient and efficient experience through the terminal.  By thinking outside the box and challenging the status quo, I think we are continuing to set the bar higher of what can be achieved with the available resources.”

Like last fall, NJ TRANSIT will have customer service ambassadors at the Port Authority Bus Terminal the weeks of August 29th and September 6thinforming customers of the new departure locations.  Ambassadors will be handing out informational flyers detailing the gate changes.  Customers on the 12 affected bus routes are urged to familiarize themselves with the new departure location prior to September 3rd.  For more information customers can also visit njtransit.com or call NJ TRANSIT Customer Service at (973) 275-5555 between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. daily.

DEPARTURE GATE ASSIGNMENTS

Effective September 3, 2016

Z

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NJ TRANSIT Don’t Play Pokemon Go on the Train tacks

Pokémon Go
August 27,2016

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ,  NJ TRANSIT has announced its support of a joint letter released by the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) and the Association of American Railroads (AAR) urging safe behaviors in or near railroad tracks, stations and rail yard facilities in light of the popular Pokemon Go game.

Last week, the national railroad organizations sent the letter to John Hanke, chief executive officer for Niantic Labs, Inc., the maker of Pokemon Go. In it, they recommend that the Niantic Labs team consider ways to promote safety, particularly by avoiding the placement of Pokemon and virtual points of interest in the game on or near railroad tracks.

 “The public needs to be aware that NJ TRANSIT is an active system, with buses, trains and light rail vehicles moving constantly,’’ said Interim Executive Director Dennis Martin. “With a 24-7 transportation operation, a distracted pedestrian could unintentionally find themselves in harm’s way.’’

There have been no instances of anyone being injured on or near the NJ TRANSIT system as a result of playing this game, but NJ TRANSIT urges all game players to use extreme caution. NJ TRANSIT has been involved in an active campaign to increase the public’s awareness of potential risks while playing on or near the system. Social media tweets urging players to not get lured into danger and an increased safety campaign, such as posters reminding the public to “look up from their phones’’ were put into place soon after the game’s release earlier this summer.

“Safety is the No. 1 priority here at NJ TRANSIT for our customers and personnel,’’ said NJ TRANSIT”s Chief, Office of System Safety Gardner Tabon. “If you are going to play Pokemon Go, we want you to catch them all, but do so safely when around trains and buses.’’

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Delays Plague Ridgewood NJ Transit Train Riders

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August 24,2016
the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, if have noticed your having trouble getting to work on time ,its true you are the NJT rail on-time performance data, found in NJ Transits annual report, calculates the percentage of trains that arrive on-time to their destination.

The current data shows that while the Main/Bergen County Line on time performance has actually improved from 2011 to 2015 , you connection to New York Penn Station at Secaucus Junction has suffered significant deterioration.

The Northeast Corridor commuter trains (NEC) are the now the most frequently late, and more of them are arriving later.The NEC has had the lowest percentage of on-time trains every year for the past five years. It’s been getting worse, falling to a low of 89.9 percent on-time in 2015 after reaching a five year high in 2013 of 94.4 percent.

NJT considers a train late if it arrives to its final destination six minutes after its scheduled time.The performance measures are in fiscal years, which for NJ Transit starts July 1 and goes through June 30.

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Video warns of transit apocalypse if new tunnels aren’t fast-tracked

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By Larry Higgs | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
on August 16, 2016 at 2:49 PM, updated August 16, 2016 at 3:49 PM

A former writer for “The Daily Show” has produced a video explaining how red tape could delay the Gateway Tunnel project, potentially increasing gridlock and costing billions in tax dollars.

The video by Alex Marino explains the complex tunnel issues in “Transportation Armageddon.” It was produced for Common Good, which advocates cutting red tape and bureaucratic reform.

It warns how road gridlock would expand in New York and New Jersey if one of the existing 106-year old tunnels has to be taken out of service for rehabilitation and rail commuters instead have to use their cars.

https://www.nj.com/traffic/index.ssf/2016/08/video_warns_of_transit_apocalypse_if_new_tunnels_arent_fast-tracked.html

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NJT Mobile App One-Way Ticketing Expands to More Interstate Bus Lines

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August 3,2016

the staff of the Ridgewood

Ridgewood  NJ , Following the success earlier this year of offering mobile ticketing on select interstate bus lines, NJ TRANSIT has now expanded mobile ticketing to include one-way fares on bus routes between New Jersey and New York or Philadelphia.

“NJ TRANSIT continues to upgrade our technology to constantly improve the ticket purchasing experience for our customers and to make the process more convenient,’’ said NJ TRANSIT’s interim Executive Director Dennis Martin.  “We are an industry leader in mobile ticketing and by listening to what our customers want, we are able to offer them the high-tech options which are demanded in the digital world in which we now live.’’

Earlier this year, NJ TRANSIT launched one-way interstate mobile ticketing for Bus Route Nos. 126, 156, 158 and 159.  This latest update to the Mobile App now allows NJ TRANSIT bus customers on additional bus routes to use the MyTix feature to purchase and display one-way tickets for bus travel between New York and New Jersey and between Philadelphia and New Jersey.  The convenience allows customers to avoid lines at Ticket Vending Machines and ticket windows and speed up their travels.

In addition to one-way interstate bus ticketing, the Mobile App update streamlines the purchasing of rail tickets.  Users now have the option to purchase rail tickets right from the train schedule screen by using a new “Buy” button.  By linking the train schedules to purchase options, customers can seamlessly find the correct train and buy their tickets with fewer clicks.

Exploring new ways to enhance mobile ticketing options for customers is a high priority for NJ TRANSIT. The popularity of the NJ TRANSIT mobile ticketing app has grown steadily since its introduction in 2013, now with close to one million NJ TRANSIT customers creating mobile accounts.

The NJ TRANSIT mobile app is available for free download on any web-enabled iOS or Android device. To purchase tickets, customers simply install the app and then create an account, which will securely save a customer’s profile information and purchase history.

About NJ TRANSIT

NJ TRANSIT is the nation’s largest statewide public transportation system providing more than 938,500 weekday trips on 257 bus routes, three light rail lines, 12 commuter rail lines and through Access Link paratransit service. It is the third largest transit system in the country with 166 rail stations, 62 light rail stations and more than 19,000 bus stops linking major points in New Jersey, New York and Philadelphia.

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Homeless Encampments Worry Commuters At Penn Station

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July 25, 2016 6:07 PM

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) — As the New York City homeless problempersists, passengers have been encountering crowds of people camped outside Penn Station.

As CBS2’s Jessica Layton reported, Penn Station commuters said the city needs to do something.

Annette Woods is a frequent visitor to the city from Trenton, New Jersey, and she loves New York City – she even wears an “I love NY” T-shirt. But she said she would rather not be hassled for cash by the homeless people who are hunched over and camped out in the doorway.

“Not clean,” Woods said, “and they need food, shelter or, place or a job.”

“It’s sad, but that’s the reality here, and it’s part of the city,” said Kinneret Ladizinsky of Canada.

Mayor Bill de Blasio’s refrain has been that when the city sees an uptick of homeless people in a particular spot, police officers or outreach workers are sent to check things out.

https://newyork.cbslocal.com/2016/07/25/penn-station-homeless-encampments/

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New Jersey Transit Train Passenger Arrested After Threat

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July 26, 2016 9:54 AM

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — A New Jersey Transit train passenger is undergoing a psychological evaluation after authorities say he made a threat against the commuter railroad.

NJ Transit spokesman Jim Smith says 29-year-old Mohammed Mahmoud of South Amboy was riding on a North Jersey Coast Line train headed for Bay Head when he made the unspecified threat around 6 p.m. Monday.

The train was stopped and searched at the Newark Airport Station. Passengers were evacuated while Mahmoud was detained. Nothing suspicious was found.

https://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/2016/07/26/new-jersey-transit-train-passenger-arrested-after-threat/

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Ridgewood Train Station :Main Line service has resumed in both directions

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July 22,2016
the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood Nj , according to NJT Main Line service has resumed in both directions between Glen Rock and Hoboken due to a trespasser fatality near Kingsland.

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Where does Transportation Trust Fund money go?

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By Larry Higgs | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
on July 14, 2016 at 11:14 AM, updated July 14, 2016 at 12:12 PM

We asked, and you responded with some pretty insightful questions about the state’s road and transit construction shutdown.

While lawmakers and the governor try to hammer out a solution to replenish the state’s cash strapped Transportation Trust Fund and end the shutdown, readers asked questions about the billions of dollars that could be raised and how it will be used.

Q: Is the 23 cent gas tax increase for bridge and road construction, or (is it) funding New Jersey Transit? The seven costliest projects will buy buses and locomotives for NJT (example: $712.7 million for 772 buses). Not one cent goes towards our crumbling bridges and roads. Something is wrong here.

A: Let’s take those in order.

The TTF, which would be supported by a proposed 23 cent increase in the gas tax,  funds both the Department of Transportation and NJ Transit, said Stephen Schapiro, a DOT spokesman. How much each agency receives is determined in the annual capital budget. The DOT will receive $1.017 billion from the trust fund and NJ Transit receives $582 million in fiscal year 2017.

https://www.nj.com/traffic/index.ssf/2016/07/readers_where_does_transportation_trust_fund_money_go.html

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ARREST MADE IN ALLEGED NEW JERSEY TRANSIT TICKET SCAM

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Dover, NJ man charged with tampering with Ticket Vending Machine and selling tickets

July 15, 2016

the staff of the Ridgewood bog

Dover NJ,  New Jersey Transit Police have arrested a Dover, NJ man accused of tampering with a ticket vending machine and selling NJ TRANSIT rail tickets and passes.  Following reports of a disabled ticket vending machine and someone selling tickets at the Dover train station, the New Jersey Transit Police Department launched an investigation.

On July 14, 2016 at approximately 4:30 p.m., 53-year-old David Mendes of Dover, NJ allegedly sold a ticket to a New Jersey Transit Police anti-crime officer at the Dover train station.  Upon arrest, Mendes was discovered with 29 NJ TRANSIT tickets, including three monthly passes and one weekly pass, worth more than $1,200.
“What the actor thought was a way to make a quick buck was quickly foiled by solid police work,” said New Jersey Transit Police Chief Christopher Trucillo.  “We encourage everyone within the NJ TRANSIT system that if they “See Something, Say Something.”  Let this serve as a reminder to the criminal element that the New Jersey Transit Police Department will relentlessly pursue all leads, no matter how big or small.”

Mendes has been charged with distribution of tickets, receiving stolen property, theft by deception, criminal mischief and smoking in public.

NJ TRANSIT encourages customers to remain aware of their surroundings and to be the eyes and ears for law enforcement – If you see something, say something. To report a crime, suspicious activity or unattended packages contact the New Jersey Transit Police Department at 1-888-TIPS-NJT or send a text message to NJTPD (65873).

The charges and allegations contained in this release are merely accusations and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

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NJ Transit caught in road funding fight

Ridgewood Train Stataion

 

Many people who took to New Jersey’s roads on Monday witnessed an eerie sight: hundreds of road construction projects sitting idle, their workers having been sent home by Governor Christie’s executive order suspending $775 million in projects over a budget fight with legislators. Christopher Maag, The Record Read more

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New Jersey Transit Ends Audio Recording on Light Rail

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June 30,2016

the staff of the Ridgewood bog

Ridgewood NJ, Looks like New Jersey Transit will no longer be listen to riders conversations on certain lines. New Jersey’s transit agency announced Wednesday it’s ending its use of audio surveillance systems on some of its trains.

Audio and video recording have been in use on New Jersey Transit’s River Line between Trenton and Camden, and had said it was planning to use the system on light rail trains in Newark and in Hudson County.

In a carefully worded statement NJT said , “Following a careful internal review that involved weighing security benefits, operational necessities and evolving industry practices, NJ Transit has decided to remove the audio recording feature from light rail vehicles,” it said in an email. “Customer safety remains our top priority and it was determined that removing the audio recording feature would not in any way compromise that standard.”

Objections and skepticism were raised by many rail rider groups and civil liberties advocates over privacy issues ,including this blog.

While no evidence has so far been presented that NJT was listening to conversations on the Main Line or the Bergen Line’s that service Ridgewood ,local commuters felt it was a bit invasive .

“Not only was NJ Transit collecting countless hours of train conversations, but the agency irresponsibly failed to put policies in place to prevent misuse of the recordings or to protect passengers’ privacy,” the American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey said in a statement. “State agencies should think twice before dismissing New Jerseyans’ privacy rights so easily.”

After news leaked out of the audio surveillance in April, Interim Executive Director Dennis Martin defended its use and said the agency was using whatever tools at its disposal to “deter criminal activity” and keep passengers safe, citing global terror attacks.