The promise of limited restoration of transit services lured hundreds of thousands back into the nation's largest city Thursday, but the commute was nightmarish even by New York City's standards: Seemingly endless lines at bus stops, backups at the city's bridges and tunnels stretched for miles, and many people simply gave up after an hour or two of frustration.
The scene was "pure mayhem," Lanisha Harris, who was trying to get to work in Manhattan from Canarsie, Brooklyn, told NBCNewYork.com in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy.
The order that all vehicles entering Manhattan must have at least three occupants appeared to cut down on traffic in the city, but enforcement of the directive caused problems elsewhere.
At the approach to the Lincoln Tunnel, traffic from New Jersey was restricted to a single lane and cars with fewer than three people were being diverted, causing a backup that jammed the state's northern highways.
In downtown Brooklyn, "easily a thousand people, possibly more" were in line at the Barclay's Center waiting for public buses, NBC 4 New York reporter Kai Simonson said from his helicopter viewpoint.
We'll all take four hours getting into work, sit around for a fifteen minute PD on how to show empathy to students affected by Hurricane Sandy, then have to leave for the four hour commute home.
Fantastic!
Oh, and there's no gas in much of northern New Jersey.
In Hoboken, Bayonne and Jersey City, most gas stations have no power.
The PATH is down.
NJ Transit is down.
There's no gas.
And the river is full of sewage, so it's not safe to swim.
Time for NYCDOE PD!
Apparently there were some real problems with the checkpoints to ensure that cars were carrying three people. CBS 2 reporter Marcia Kramer attempted to ask Hizzoner about this and he cut her right off in his usual petulant fashion. Marcia wouldn't let go, which caused him to become more and more pissed off. Kind of fun to watch.
ReplyDeleteKramer really gets under his skin. That;s because she isn't a toady.
DeleteThe question came up on a news interview with the NYS DOT spokesperson about what a man who had a two-seater car could do. Answer: you're out of luck, bub. Go find a ride with somebody else.
ReplyDeleteOh, by the way I love your sarcasm about the PDs.