Why the GWB Carmegeddon isn't as bad as we thought it would be...

Last night I decided to take the lower level of the GWB inbound. This was not an error, rather a carefully calculated decision based on upper level toll plaza traffic and CBX traffic on the other side. I decided that the 25 minute trek downstairs was favorable to about 40 minutes upstairs. I would have followed the traffic indicator sign on the 95 approach which listed approximate wait times, but shocker, it wasn’t working.

We have all been warned to avoid the GWB. Everyone says its complete anarchy as 3 lanes are reduced to one, creating an absolute bottleneck and gumming up the full approach. This is actually not true.

[caption id="attachment_579" align="aligncenter" width="300"] this is the three lanes that are on the GWB lower level. the left is the HRD exit, the right is the Deegan exit and in the middle is the CBX approach.[/caption]

In reality, the traffic pattern is not all that different. The 3 lanes in question encompass the Harlem River Drive left exit, the 95 through traffic lane, and the Deegan lane to the left. The Harlem River Drive exits as normally, and about 50 yards later, the other two lanes go into a slow merge. And when I say exit as normally, I mean the left lane moves more rapidly than the 2 right lanes. The middle lane is not for the weary, requiring constant concentration to keep within 6 inches off the bumper of the car in front of you, to prevent the asshats that are too important to wait from cutting in.

I think these pricks are actually thee root cause of most of the  traffic down there, both on the span and in the Harlem River Drive approach. People stop in the middle of the left lane to cut off traffic, which causes that lane to stop moving, in addition to the middle lane. After this it’s 2 lanes merging slowly, which are then expanded out from one lane to two, which actually is an improvement over the cluster that was the previous traffic pattern -Remember that? Lower level and upper level all merging into four lanes, with all of the Deegan bound trucks desperately trying to jockey all the way to right from the other side of the road, through traffic? Yeah, im kind of glad that’s gone.

So in conclusion, the lower level of the GWB right now is not that bad for the weekday commuter, but always add about 10 minutes to drive time. But still consider it off-limits between Thursday night and Sunday night, when all the travelers are on their way to their destination. For now it is an option, but when September hits, I still think its going to be utter chaos.

I got 99 Problems and the TVB is one.

I'm driving on the Clearview Southbound the other day. I'm keeping pace with traffic, and take position behind a rapidly moving black A4 from the middle lane to pass a slow moving VW. It was a gorgeous day. The sunroof is open, the radio is blasting, and I feel great.

That is until I see the unmarked black NYPD Charger bust out from my left from his hiding spot.

He accelerates with such fury that his ass actually kicks out as he pulls out from the dirt underneath the overpass to the tarmac. Im not worried. I see him coming, and I slide to the right. The Audi in front of me was hauling ass, so I almost feel bad for him.

Then he moves right with me and gets right behind me, cherries ablaze. Crap.  This is gonna suck. I know im about to get pulled over, so my first move is to roll down all my windows and avoid the illegal tint ticket.

At this point I'm contemplating that I got two choices, yall-  pull over the car or bounce on the double put the pedal to the floor. Now a high speed chase is the wrong move, as I can’t outrun an Interceptor package V8 charger.

Plus I got a few dollars I can fight the case.  So....I pull over to the side of the road, and I heard "Son do you know why I'm stopping you for?"

"Cause I'm young and I'm black and my hat's real low" I said;  this was not received well.  At this point I realize my PBA and officers Union stickers won’t be of help.

"Well you was doing 74 in a fifty (four)".

So I got a ticket. Its OK, I'm not mad about it. I have the "don't do the crime if you cant do the time" mentality, and my respect for police officers reminds me he is out there doing his job. I was speeding, I got a ticket, I deserved it, lets pay the fine and move on. But this is where things went south.

Apparently, in NYC, Buffalo and Rochester only, traffic and vehicular infractions are handled by an Organization called the Traffic Violations Bureau (TVB) which is actually the militant arm of the DMV. This is different than the rest of the state where you get a ticket, and you can plead guilty or not guilty. If you plead the latter, you got to court, where the cop will likely knock it down. Not the TVB. If you dare to plead not guilty, the ticket actually warns you that there will likely be additional fees. They also warn that there is no reduction - you are either guilty or the ticket is dismissed. You better lawyer up if you want to fight because the tickets don’t get dismissed. In fact, it has even been reported that cops get in trouble if tickets are dismissed. Even on the ticket, it basically tells you don’t even attempt to fight this ticket.

In big letters, it tells me i have 15 days to respond, or my automotive world will end due to license suspension, they will kidnap my dog, and write mean things about me on yelp.

As you might know, there is now a fantastic world wide web out there of information sharing that we can all use to computerize our lives and make things easier. The TVB has also embraced this with an “E-plead” function of their website. When you log on using the ticket information, you are able to pay for your ticket and put it behind you. Sounds great in theory. So I logged on a few days after I got the ticket, and it says it is not in their database yet. I signed up to get the email, and they will send me a generated notification of when it becomes available. Great. So I researched this matter, and I found they actually never really post the tickets online in a timely fashion. I also asked one of my friends who works for the NYS DMV about this delay. She was unaware of the TVB’s practices, further contributing to their image as a rogue shadow splinter cell that exists within the states bureaucracy.

I got the email today. Today. I got the ticket nearly 20 days ago. I’m no mathematician, but that seems to be more than the threatening 15 day minimum. Foreseeing this delay, I thankfully dusted off my checkbook, and paid this by snail mail. Now let’s just hope they recognize it, as I always worry about the efficiency of blindly sending something and trusting the post office to deliver it.

But there is one more nagging thing that I have to deal with, and that’s the points. this infractions carries a 6 point penalty, which is very harsh. In NY, if you get 11 points within an 18 month period, you get an automatic suspension. So you better believe that im going to be taking a defensive driving course to lose 4 of those points, and help with any insurance issues that arise.

But I also learned something today. I don’t have to drive that fast. I was never a douche on the road; I never was a tailgater, or made unsafe lane changes. I let people merge in front of me, and I try to be courteous. But I do certainly prefer the left lane and have a lead foot. I think this is a good example of the system doing its job as I constantly remind myself to slow down to a reasonable speed, or risk losing my right to drive. But I am also saving gas, and being safer, which are also benefits. Did I just grow up? I think so.

 

Carmageddon, NY style and how to avoid it

This is it. Over the weekend, construction began on the inbound (east, into Bronx) side of the lower level of the George Washington Bridge (GWB). This construction is a Port Authority overhauling the half-Century old Alexander Hamilton Bridge, which was basically a bottleneck since it was built, and is the source of many a commuter headaches. This traffic is affecting the Cross Bronx (CBX) East, also known as 95 North. The westbound lanes will continue to crawl as before.

The $407 Million dollar construction project is expected to last three months, but as any Metro NY’er goes, this will likely go into the holidays. At any rate, when traffic significantly picks up again in September, it’s going to be a bigger mess. apparently shoulders are being added, so now if you have to change a tire or stall out, your chances of being run down by a gypsy cab are slightly less.

So it’s commuting day one of the construction, and so far reports are promising as the congestion is light inbound this morning. The upper level is apparently moving smoothly, and the lower level is crawling as it minimized down to one lane. I braved the ride in today, and im preparing for the worst on my ride home today.  This morning, I kissed my wife and Children goodbye, said I didn't know when i would be home, and prepared for the worst.  I am ready for a three hour ride home tonight. Its going to be hot, sticky, and full of road rage, but I wont know unless I try.

So what’s my next option? If this is as bad I think it’s going to be tonight, I am going to have to consider working from my company’s NY headquarters for the next few months, and embracing the LIRR. But here is some advice to how I think you can avoid the delays, which beat sleeping at the office. These apply mostly for commuters, but they can also work for those silly enough to try and cross the Hudson for weekend travel plans.

 

How to avoid the delays:

• Mass Transit - NJ Transit, Path and LIRR all connect within Penn station. It’s actually quite easy to hop a LIRR train, arrive in the station, walk into the NJ transit terminal in Penn, and grab a North East corridor train to your destination, where you can hop on a shuttle, and reverse. Beware though, Secaucus Junction has no parking, and the NJT journey through the Amtrak controlled tunnels coming into Penn can have you sitting for up to 30 minutes as trains are shuffled. Also, keep in mind, NJT trains inbound to Penn average 20 minutes late, so plan your schedule as if trains will be late. And then be pleasantly surprised when they are on time.


• ALWAYS TAKE THE UPPER LEVEL. While the wait at the tolls will be longer, the ride across the span and onto the CBX will be lighter overall.


• From 95, try the lower level local approach, and then hop off into the upper level tolls at the last chance exit


• Keep an eye on the Deegan – When the Deegan overflows, the lower level becomes more congested than the upper level. Pay special attention to not travel during Yankee games, as this will be gridlock.


• Alternate Routes:
  
  
  
  • Routes 9&46 off of 95 is one of my favorites, and it drops you right on the ramp to the upper level. Access it through 95 express lane. Don’t be discouraged by the building traffic on the on-ramp to the road, this is normal, and thins out quickly. Just stay in the left lane the whole way to the upper level.
  
  
  • Lincoln Tunnel / Holland Tunnel - this is actually a pretty good option for most Jersey commuters, assuming you can drive in Manhattan. Certainly expect an uptick in traffic, and pay attention to street closures. Also, don’t assume your GPS will work in the city, where it doesn’t always have line of sight to the satellites. Plan your route out ahead of time.  But during weekends, this is likely your best option. Then take the FDR if you have to go North, or hit the Mid\tTown Tunnel for Long Island.
  
  
  • The Tappan Zee - this might be tempting, but don’t do it unless it’s a weekend and you have to go North of the city.. The traffic really sucks.
  
  
  • Goethals / Verrazano – (Exit 13) if you are coming from South Jersey, this is a good option for you. Just beware the Belt parkway, one of the most notorious traffic roads in the Northeast.
  
  
  
  


• Don’t go near the bridge on Thursday night and Fridays - We know about the delays because it’s in the news. Consider the family from Virginia all packed into a minivan blindly following their GPS to the bridge, who go slowly as they try to figure what lane to be in, and accidently go into the EZ Pass lane when they have cash, etc... and multiply this by 10,000 cars. We all know Friday Afternoons are brutal on the bridges because of the weekenders. Call in Sick, work from home, telecommute from Starbucks, I don’t care, but you cant pay me enough to take this ride on a Thursday and Friday, as it will be minivans and cute-utes as far as the eye can see, with more road rage and breakdowns than you have ever seen.

Good luck, and Godspeed.

 

Summer commuting woes, tips

One of my most favorite advancements in technology is those new signs that tell you average travel time to a destination. They even put one up on the Throgs Neck Bridge that tells you the time you will be sitting on the CBX if you go to the GWB. Brilliant.

But they also let you know when you are screwed. This morning, my commute on on the Northern State took me past the sign that tells you approximate travel times for the LIE (495) and the Northern state to the CIP. You know its bad news when instead of a minute value, it's just "dashes" indicating nothing but trouble.

 

So two hours into my ride this morning the realization hit me: It's officially summer. Why  are still so many cars on the road right now? Typically this time of year the traffic volume is significantly reduced, especially in the morning.  I don't know when releief will come, but I am looking forward to it.

Here are also some general tips for metro commutes this month:

• Whitestone Queens bound: Always stick to the left.   After the toll, the lanes split and the right goes into a slow crawling two lanes while the left is a single fast moving lane


• Throgs Neck: Weekend work on the bridge should make you think twice about the Clearview vs. the CIP


• Deegan Northbound : construction continues on GWB ramp, making this almost never a good option

Whats going on:  A lot of good stuff in the hopper. I'm working on an articles of how to spot the new NYPD unmarked Taurus Interceptors, translating FM traffic data, and also installing a hard-mount radar detector.

Sine the most popular article3s by far on this site are the how-to posts on preparing your car for a hurricane and TPMS, expect to see more like that.

Why your car loses power when you turn on the AC

Last night I walked out of my office and was blasted with  hot air, like someone was aiming 40 hair dryers at me, and today is going to be even worse. Seeking refuge,  I got into my car, and promptly turned on the A/C and set the climate control to 60. As the dash thermometer crept past 102 degrees, I was perfectly comfortable. Technology FTW.

Some might notice it, but when you turn on the air conditioner, your car can lose up to 20 HP. If you are cruising and engage the air conditioning, its more evident than going from a stop, but there is usually a performance loss no matter what type of vehicle you drive.

But why? There is nothing wrong with your car, this is the way your serpentine belt is routed on your motor. You see, the belt is turned by the engine, and drives thing like your power steering pump, alternator and water pump. Typically the belt routing also drives the A/C compressor.

When you hit the button to turn on the air conditioning, a clutch is engaged that adds resistance to the belt, because the belt is now working harder to turn more items then before. This is also why some people might notice a drop in gas mileage.  if you need a little bit more power when merging or when you know you will have to accelerate, you can always stop the system and then restart it.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="400"] This is a typical layout of a serpentine belt that drives your engines functions[/caption]

People have also asked me why their car leaks water when the AC is on -  this is also something that shoud nto be a concern. The AC condenser drips water as it cools the air it sucks in, and this is normal. n fact, you should only be concerned if your car is not dripping water when the air conditioner is on, as this typically indicates a blockage in the line or malfunctioning condenser unit.

About the Deegan, and why you need to re-evaluate your decision to drive anywhere tomorrow

What’s the worst road in all of Metro NY? There are a lot of opinions about this, but my second choice for the absolute worst road in the tri state area is the route to the northbound RFK / Triborough including the Major Deegan. (the first choice remains the belt). It’s in a constant state of disrepair, the lanes are way too tight, the volume is overwhelming, and there are just too many damn gypsy cabs and car service drivers who just don’t care about things like turn signals, doing 30 in the left lane or running you off the road as they answer their phone.

1010 AM told me this morning that the outbound GWB was clogged, and the resulting traffic in the CBX was going to be bad. In my personal experience, when the radio says the Cross Bronx is going to be bad it’s an understatement and it usually indicates about a 3 hour delay.  So after I narrowly escaped being sideswiped by the old lady in her Corolla who just had to curl her eyelashes on the Wantagh, I checked the traffic data on my GPS, and I decided that taking the Grand Central to the Deegan and over the RFK would be a better option. I don’t think I made the right call.

This morning I thought I was going to be smart and take the Deegan to get into the GWB, and now I know this was a mistake. I followed signs for RFK. I followed signs for the Triborough. I followed the signs that told me that the Triborough was now renamed the RFK. I had lots of time to sit there and ponder this as I sat in a dead standstill for hours.

There are two major bottlenecks in the Deegan approach. The first is actually in the Grand Central, and its right outside LaGuardia airport, but this is usually only active during rush hour. But the worst by far is around the never ending construction on the on-ramp to get onto the GWB three exiting lanes for two different exits (7N and 7S) are reduced to one lane. Plus, there is a heavy merge with a stop sign (really?!) coming from the left. This is further hindered by the merge onto the CBX which moves at a snails pace as tractor trailers have approximately 100 yards to move over three lanes of bumper to bumper traffic. This is a recipe for gridlock, and I don’t think ill be taking it again. I think next time it will be faster to take the Midtown tunnel and go through Manhattan. I do have a question though

Lets do the math -  the CBX backs up, but you know it cannot be more than 6 miles of traffic. The Deegan GCP combo on the other hand can be up to 20 miles of traffic, and you know the end is that massive bottleneck. This is compared to the CBX, which usually thins out by Third Ave. My advice is to stick with the CBX.

But let’s be clear, it’s the week before Memorial Day, and driving anywhere is a mistake as the roads are clogged with travelers going to their vacations. I made it a point to work from Manhattan tomorrow and take the LIRR in, as I know Thursday and Friday is going to be one of the worst traffic days of the year.

 

[caption id="attachment_559" align="aligncenter" width="300"] the bottlenecks on the Deegan are seen on the approach to the GWB ramp.[/caption]

New baby, new shoes, and some new help for commuters

Really? Over a month since my last post? But it isn't for lack of trying. The good news is that I took three weeks off to unplug and to welcome a baby daughter, so there was no commuting. There was also no sleeping or relaxing, but that's par for the course.

Yesterday I had to miss work also had to go get new tires put on and a rim straightened. why? Because on Friday i was cruising through Bethpage Park at about 50 mph when a lady blew a stop sign directly in front of me. She stopped in the middle, so i had to dive left to avoid hitting her and the car behind her. So I pull a full-on power slide, and nail a curb with my driver side and come to a stop. Luckily it wasn't a true curb, one of those gradual concrete risers. So now I have a puncture wound in my Potenza RE960 and a bent rim with some major rash. I spent the weekend trying to find a set of 245/45/18's that were under $300 bucks a piece. she drives fine now, but the wheel points true north at about 12:30, and the alignment is way off. so that's another thing i have to get fixed.

But a lot has been happening since i have been out, mostly thanks to U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) and U.S. Rep. Michael Grimm (R-13-NY) and their push of the commuter protection act. Not many people know that Port Authority is actually privately held and one of the aims of the bill is to put tolls back under government control. It also pushes for accountability and transparency. As you probably know, GWB and other PA crossing have had a major toll hike and will be even more in the next few years. These tolls are funding other PA projects that create income through rent yet don't go back into infrastructure or to commuters. Check out the Senator's bill here and give support.

http://grimm.house.gov/press-release/rep-grimm-senator-lautenberg-introduce-commuter-protection-act-return-oversight-unjust