The Real Problem with NJ Transit's Super Bowl Service

By the incessant stream of tweets and news stories last night both before and after the game, NJ Transit's ability to handle the crush of fans heading to the game was decidedly mixed.

NJ Transit claims that they were very pleased with the outcome and that they moved a record number of people during the event, with more than 28,000 moved heading to the game, and a higher number when leaving.

The numbers make sense because Super Bowl organizers had warned that thousands of parking spots would be unavailable due to the security perimeter around MetLife Stadium. Organizers had hoped that 8-12,000 fans would use mass transit. But the numbers exceeded even NJ Transit's estimates of commuters. This should have been a triumph of mass transit.

Here's where things go wrong.

NJ Transit built the spur line to the Meadowlands five years ago in anticipation of large events at the Meadowlands where crowds would exceed 50,000 fans. The $185 million cost included the new three platform terminus and a two-track spur off the Pascack Valley Line.

NJ Transit estimates that the line could handle about 11,000 an hour, though I've seen others claiming 15-20,000 an hour (this would appear to indicate the ability to handle about 10-12 10-car trains per hour).

With more than 28,000 people using the track configuration, you're looking at more than 2 hours to safely move all those people to Secaucus where they would presumably be able to take trains to other parts of New Jersey or into NY Penn Station.

But NJ Transit screwed everyone with how they built the spur in the first place, and by doing so, they also screwed residents of Bergen County who would want to attend events in the Meadowlands.

The stadium station should have been built as a through track on the Pascack Valley line, which means that regular service would stop there, and people could then take trains elsewhere on the line. Had that been done, the agency could optimize their train service to spread out the load to towns along the Pascack Valley line - improving service to Bergen County and reducing vehicles traveling to events. Moreover, it means that the pending Xanadu/American Dream project across Route 120 from MetLife Stadium finally opens, it would have regular service, instead of intermittent service during only certain events.

NJ Transit's poor planning also meant that only 11,000 people could be accommodated by the spur line per hour. The station should have been four platforms with three tracks to increase capacity for surging trains during events. But those capacity increases go only so far when NJ Transit doesn't provide increased service elsewhere in their system. Again, Bergen County got screwed as it ran fewer trains than it should have along the Bergen/Main/Pascack Valley lines during game day. This reduced the number of people who could get to or from the area serviced by NJ Transit - people who wanted to commute and avoid driving into the area.

It meant that crowds at Secaucus were left with few options as a result of limited service, making an already difficult transit situation worse.

The infrastructure costs to have implemented the system I outlined above would have been higher initially, but the long term service improvements would have been more than worth it to everyone in the region, and would actually reduce costs over time due to service running to the Meadowlands along an existing line.

So where does Jim Weinstein play into all this? He's the head of NJ Transit and was in charge of the agency when he allowed the rail fleet to be completely flooded out causing hundreds of millions of dollars in damage. He was not even reprimanded by Governor Chris Christie.

Now, the agency is congratulating itself for a job well done? In one sense, they should based on the infrastructure constraints that were in place. But in another, it was the agency's failure to have capacity to address large crowds and then ignoring their own and then the tone deaf response to customer complaints about capacity issues at MetLife Stadium and Secaucus.

The failed response is one that falls on Weinstein. Again.

Governor Christie refused to hold Weinstein accountable over Sandy and I don't expect anything different this time either.

On the positive side, this shows that mass transit is something fans have been clamoring for and that increased and enhanced service is something fans want. Other cities and transit agencies should recognize and implement viable plans to expand transit options since people want the ability to go to sporting and other major events (like concerts) without having the hassle of driving).

Super Bowl Medical Scare? Person Infected With Measles Mingled In Indianapolis Crowds

Once again, we get a reminder of why it is so important to get vaccinations. Today, we learn that health authorities in Indiana have discovered that someone infected with measles was in the crowds in Indanapolis for the Super Bowl festivities and that people who traveled to the city for the Super Bowl may have come into contact with the person.

The Indiana Health Department says two cases of measles have been confirmed in the state. Health officials say one of those infected with the disease was in Indianapolis two days before the game and says visitors to Super Bowl village might have been exposed.

“One of the infected individuals visited the Super Bowl festivities in downtown Indianapolis on Friday, February 3, but health officials report the individual did not go into the NFL Experience at the Indiana Convention Center,” the health department says on its website. ”Since these events included visitors from other states, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has been notified. State health officials are also working with health officials in New York and Massachusetts.”

Measles is highly contagious. Symptoms begin with a fever and cough and then a rash develops, but most Americans are vaccinated for measles as children.

The NY Giants Celebrate Winning Super Bowl With Parade Down Canyon of Heroes

Gov. Andrew Cuomo; Eli Manning; Mayor Mike Bloomberg; Coach Tom Coughlin; Justin Tuck; Ann Mara, and co-owners  Tim Mara and Steve Tisch

Close up of Mayor Bloomberg; Super Bowl MVP Eli Manning with the Super Bowl trophy; Cough Coughlin  

Lawrence Tynes

Hakeem Nicks, Mario Manningham, and Victor Cruz

Honda Does Ferris Bueller Redux For Super Bowl

Volkswagen Rolls Out Teaser Ad For Super Bowl

Volkswagen, who won acclaim with its immensely popular Super Bowl ad last year featuring a kid who was enthralled with being Darth Vader, is prepping the field for another ad along the same vein.

To do so, it's rolling out a teaser featuring a dog chorus barking out the Imperial March:



For those who have forgotten, here's the full Darth Vader ad:



In many respects, putting these ads online allows for bigger bang for the buck and word of mouth and gives the sponsors of the ad the ability to run its advertising in multiple channels for no additional cost other than uploading it online.

The Best Super Bowl Commercial and the Star Who Never Saw The Movies He Spoofed

He's only six years old, so he can be forgiven for never having seen Star Wars.

The Force was with TODAY Monday when the pint-size Darth Vader who has stolen America’s heart came to Studio 1A and tried to wield the same powers that seemingly brought a Volkswagen Passat to life in this year’s breakout Super Bowl ad. He had an early success in the makeup room, apparently turning on a hair dryer with a thrust of his hands.

The diminutive Darth’s efforts to channel metaphysical energies were more hit-and-miss when he tried to work them on a coffeemaker in the greenroom or on monitors in the TODAY control room — but 6-year-old Max Page’s star power couldn’t be stifled, even by the bulky helmet he wore.

Max’s Super Bowl ad shows him in full Vader regalia, struggling vainly to use the Force to start a washer and dryer, rouse the family dog, and bring a baby doll to life. But when he heads outside to work his magic on his dad’s 2012 Volkswagen Passat, he’s shocked when the engine roars to life — little knowing that his father has started the car by remote control from the kitchen.

This was the single best commercial from an entirely lackluster commercial set. It was absolutely charming and funny, and it introduced the Passat in a way that everyone will remember.

All the other commercials paled in comparison and many of them blended into each other so that you had no idea who was pitching what or they struck the wrong tone.

Police Give All Clear After Investigating Suspicious Package Near Super Bowl Site

Police have given an all clear after investigating a suspicious package thrown into a sewer near Texas Stadium, home to the upcoming Super Bowl:

Security personnel observed someone who got out of a vehicle and appeared to place something into the drain in the median of Randol Mill Road on north perimeter of the Cowboys Stadium property, adjacent to a Walmart store, around 8 a.m.

Arlington Fire Department Assistant Chief Jim Self said what happened next was "fairly routine."

Bomb disposal and hazardous materials units were dispatched to the scene to inspect the area while the perimeter was sealed off.

A manhole cover was removed and remote inspection cameras were deployed to search the storm drain for any suspicious contents.

"There is no threat; there is no device," Self said. "Other than routine trash, that's it."

CBS Courting Controversy Over Super Bowl Ad Buy?

Is CBS courting controversy over a Super Bowl advertisement that is expected to run? (HT: Legalbgl) CBS sold a spot during the Super Bowl to Focus on Families starring college football star Ted Tebow. It's a pro-life ad:

The ad is funded by the conservative Christian group Focus on the Family. It is expected to recount the story of Pam Tebow's pregnancy in 1987. After getting sick, she ignored doctors' recommendation to abort her fifth child and gave birth to Tim, a Heisman Trophy winner.

They've relaxed their restrictions on advocacy ads in response, and also to sell the last few remaining slots during the Super Bowl.

The Super Bowl reliably provides one of the largest audiences nationally every year, and the cost to run ads can run into the millions of dollars (this year, they are running around $2.5 to 2.8 million per 30-second slot).

Tebow may lose endorsement money for pushing his pro-life view (some advertisers may shy away from someone who espouses views on lightning rod issues rather than remaining publicly silent on such matters), and that is his right and choice, just as surely as CBS is more than willing to accept the money from the group.

Will the ad be effective? I'm not sure. It depends to a great extent on how it is done and how Tebow comes across. Sporting News suggests that Focus on the Family has gone with a soft-sell, which got the approval:

It is against CBS's policy to run advocacy ads, even those with "implicit" endorsements for one side of a public debate, Media Daily News reports. CBS will review the spot before giving it final approval.

Focus on the Family said only that the ad would carry a "Celebrate Family, Celebrate Life" theme.

If it isn't done right, I don't think people are going to care to hear the message, even if they may be favorable to it. It's the Super Bowl and they'd rather be entertained than hectored or lectured.

The ad could definitely raise the profile for the pro-life group, but backlash is already developing - particularly against CBS, where NOW and several other groups are urging CBS to drop the ad.

CBS says that they've revamped their ad policy and would allow more advocacy advertisements to run.