East Brunswick Commuter Parking Advisory Committee December 2008

The Commuter
Golden Triangle redevelopment: The resolution of the Golden Triangle redevelopment
agreement remains uncertain at this time. Part of this agreement is the requirement that
Toll Brothers and Edgeboro Properties continue making their required payments to the
Township. In the meantime, the Township has authorized the potential issuance of $25
million in bonds on behalf of the Parking Utility to repurchase the site from the developers.
When and if we hear additional information about this issue, we will share it with our
commuter e-mail list.

TCC entrance: One related issue is particularly important for TCC commuters. As TCC
commuters are aware, the front TCC parking entrance is through a very awkwardly
designed set of turns through the Sam’s Club loading dock area. Commuters have
questioned the safety of this design, but the Parking Utility has stated that nothing can be
done about this safety concern unless and until the Golden Triangle development process
is resolved. The CPAC will continue to request that this safety issue be addressed as
soon as possible.

Safety and security improvements: At the December public meeting, the Parking Utility
and commuters discussed potential security improvements at both parking facilities in light
of the November 24 break-ins at Tower Center. Since that attack, we have received
additional reports from commuters of vehicle break-ins, with one vehicle even having being
attacked twice. In response, the Parking Utility and Public Safety have developed a plan
to improve the safety and security at both facilities. While some of the plan remains
confidential, the expectation is that security will be improved at both facilities. However,
many commuters including CPAC members would like serious consideration to be made of
implementing camera coverage of the parking areas of the two facilities. The CPAC
awaits cost estimates regarding the installation and operation of these devices in those
areas.

Revised Crosstown schedule: A revised Crosstown schedule was presented at the

December CPAC meeting. Several commuters objected to the proposed schedule
changes due to the adverse impact on TCC Crosstown commuters. Despite this, the
proposed schedule change was approved by the Parking Utility. According to Suburban
Manager Scott Sprengel, these changes were necessary to accommodate the addition of a
Crosstown bus originating at the Neilson Parking deck. Mr. Sprengel noted that in his view
these schedule changes would have little impact upon TCC commuters since they could
take PABT buses instead. These changes were made in an effort to alleviate Neilson
Plaza scheduling issues. Although the commuters present at the meeting were not
satisfied with the final decision, the ultimate decision to approve any Suburban Transit
schedule change lies with the Parking Utility.

Scribd: As a convenience to commuters, the CPAC is posting Suburban Transit

schedules, holiday notices and other important commuter information on Scribd. You can
access our posted files at http://www.tinyurl.com/ebscribd. We send an e-mail to our e-mail
list when these documents are posted. We generally can not e-mail the files themselves
due to their size.
TCC permits: The TCC no longer has a waiting list for monthly parking permits, either for
East Brunswick residents or non-residents. If would like to apply for a TCC monthly
parking permit, please complete the TCC permit application and return it to the Parking
Utility office. The monthly cost of a parking permit is $25 for an East Brunswick resident
and $55 for a non-resident. You can access the parking permit application at the following
link: http://www.scribd.com/doc/9256602/TCC-Parking-Application.

January CPAC meeting: The next meeting of the CPAC will be at 8 pm on Jan. 8, 2009
in the Municipal Building Conference Room. All commuters are invited to attend to
participate, along with the management of the Parking Utility and Suburban Transit. We
have yet to receive a complete calendar of meetings for the remainder of 2009.

HVAC requirements: Our Township's agreement with Suburban Transit on HVAC is two
fold: (1) bus temperatures will be set as much as physically possible to 72 degrees F year
round and that (2) the bus air circulation system should be operating at all times. If either
rule is not being followed, please report this to Suburban Transit or the CPAC for follow up
with sufficient detail (bus number, date, time, etc.) for appropriate action to be taken.
PLEASE DO NOT ASK A DRIVER TO VIOLATE THESE POLICIES. If you are cold or
warm, put on or take off your coat or move to another part of the bus. Kindly recognize
that not every passenger can be satisfied 100% of the time. Thank you for your
cooperation.

QTE accounts: Effective January 1, 2009 the maximum monthly pre-tax contribution for
mass transit QTEs will become $120 and has increased $5 per month from 2008 levels.
Commuters with such a benefit may want to adjust their QTE withholding amounts in
response to this change.

Clever Commute: The CPAC has assisted in the implementation of a commuter operated,
real-time commuter information service. The New York Times has had an article
discussing this service (you can access it at http://tinyurl.com/ysegzm). This third party
operated service permits commuters with SMS capable cell phones or smartphones such
as BlackBerries to send and receive real-time message to other commuters that have
signed up for the listserv. This service is designed to rapidly distribute short, real time
messages to commuters regarding commuter service issues such as tunnel problems,
highway disruptions, etc. To join the service, go to Clever Commute at
http://clevercommute.com/RoutesAndSignUp.php. Once there, please select "Commuter
Bus" under Item 2 as the Provider Type. Then select "East Brunswick Lines." You will then
have to confirm your registration. All messages come from your fellow commuters, so the
more commuters that sign up for and use this service, the more effective it will become.
Please send messages when there is something useful to share, but keep in mind that this
listserv is not moderated in order to keep it real-time. This service is not operated by the
CPAC and is not meant as a substitute for our other listservs.

Receive Newsletter and Commuter Service Information by E-mail

The CPAC delivers newsletters and other information by e-mail as it becomes available.
To subscribe, send an email to ebcnews-subscribe@ topica.com. Then reply when you get
the sign up confirmation message. You may cancel your subscription at any time The
CPAC will not disseminate your email address or use it for any other purpose. Our normal
e-mail address remains ebcommuter@ yahoo.com.

The Commuter December 2008