(The Associated Press circulated the following article on December 16.)
NEWARK, N.J. — New Yorkers weren’t the only ones bracing for the possibility of a transit strike in the Big Apple. Hundreds of thousands of New Jersey residents who work in the city were making contingency plans Thursday as transit workers and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority were in the final hours of negotiations before their contract expires.
A strike after the current contract expires at 12:01 a.m. Friday would leave more than 7 million daily riders looking for other ways to get around.
NJ Transit was expecting to transport new riders because of New York City’s car pool rules, but not a crush of them, said spokesman Dan Stessel.
NJ Transit planned to operate on a normal schedule and to honor all tickets on buses, trains and light rail. The agency carries about 135,000 of its 400,000 customers into Manhattan every day on buses and trains, Stessel said.
About 1.1 million New Jersey residents in 2000 commuted daily into New York by car, rail, bus and ferry, according to Rutgers. Those still planning to commute on public transit have many options into New York:
The Hudson-Bergen Light Rail line connects to New York Waterway ferries and New York-bound PATH trains.
The Port Authority will operate shuttle service on PATH trains between 33rd Street and the World Trade Center, with stops in Jersey City. The trains will operate Monday through Friday from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. every seven minutes during the morning and evening rush hours.
Those who travel to the city by car will find restrictions if there is a strike. Cars entering Manhattan south of 96th Street must have four passengers between 5 a.m. and 11 a.m. Commercial vehicles also will be banned.