The wait soon will be over for most of the people on stand-by for parking at Metro-North Railroad’s North White Plains station.

Metro-North today said about 100 parking spaces soon will become available nearby. The agency recently bought an office building at 525 North Broadway and the adjacent parking garage at 50 Haarlem Ave. (just north of the Hertz rental car office), which is walking distance to the station.

In March, Allright Corp., the agency’s parking operator, will contact people on the North White Plains parking permit waiting list, which has about 150 people.

The fee for a 16-hour meter is $6.50. About 20 metered spaces will be located on the ground floor along with five handicapped spaces. About 80 permit spaces will be on the second and third floors.

Annual permits are $860, semi-annual permits are $450 and quarterly permits are $225, plus tax.

Permit applications can be obtained www.allrightparking.net. Applications also can be obtained by fax by calling Allright’s at 888-682-PARK, or visiting its customer service center in the Poughkeepsie Garage.
Parking at new garage is free on weekends and holidays.

Metro-North Railroad reports that it had 100 percent on-time day last Thursday.

They actually told us this last Friday afternoon (I was off Friday so I didn’t get the message until Monday), but it’s still my bad for reporting it on Wednesday.

Anyway, it was only the rail service’s third perfect, non-holiday, weekday since 1991.

They are:

• January 24, 2008 – 652 trains

• March 23, 2007 – 638 trains

• March 30, 2006 – 620 trains

Metro-North staff point out there have been numerous 100 percent on-time weekend days (when there are fewer trains running), the most recent of which happened on Saturday, March 10, 2007.

If you’re heading north on the Thruway, expect lane closures around Interchange 17 in Newburgh.

The state Thruway Authority said steel work being done as part of the Interchange 17 redesign will occasionally close northbound lanes, weather permitting, during the following times:

• 6 p.m. today until 3 p.m. tomorrow

• 6 p.m. tomorrow until 3 p.m. Wednesday

• 7 a.m. until 3 p.m. Thursday

Periodic traffic stoppages, lasting no more than 10 minutes, will be necessary during the lane closures.

Drivers can tune to the Thruway’s Highway Advisory Radio 1610 AM for updates.

As we know, the FAA’s changes to airspace routes aren’t being accepted quietly by the people affected.

In Rockland and Westchester, a couple of grassroots groups have formed to oppose it, Web sites have sprung up and protests have become a regular part of the landscape.

A Philadelphia couple got even more creative. Read their story here.

I wasn’t here on Friday, so I didn’t get a chance to post this.

• Monday: Right lane Rockland-bound closed for bridge maintenance from milepost 13.1 to 16.1, between 9:30 a.m. and 2:45 p.m.

• Tuesday: Right lane Rockland-bound closed for bridge maintenance from milepost 13.1 to 16.1, between 9:30 a.m. and 2:45 p.m.

• Wednesday: Right lane Rockland-bound closed for bridge maintenance from milepost 13.1 to 16.1, between 9:30 a.m. and 2:45 p.m.

• Thursday: Right lane Rockland-bound closed for bridge maintenance from milepost 13.1 to 16.1, between 9:30 a.m. and 2:45 p.m.

• Friday: Right lane Rockland-bound closed for bridge maintenance from milepost 13.1 to 16.1, between 9:30 a.m. and 1 p.m.

All lane closures are subject to change due to traffic, weather or emergency situations. The public is also notified on Tappan Zee Bridge repairs and lane closures via Dynamic Message Signs and Highway Advisory Radio, 530 AM.

Supporters and opponents of bringing congestion pricing to Manhattan get their last chance to speak out on the different proposals tonight in White Plains.

The public hearing starts at 6 p.m. at the Westchester County Center at 198 Central Avenue. It’ll be held in meeting rooms A-B on the first floor.

The plans call for charging drivers $8 to enter the heart of Manhattan during its busiest hours on weekdays; adding tolls on all East River and Harlem River bridges; or banning cars on certain days based on the license plate number.

Revenue raised from congestion pricing would fund mass transit projects and improvements in the city.

Five other public hearings in New York City and Long Island will be held at 6 tonight. Click here for locations.

Next Wednesday, the New York City Traffic Congestion Mitigation Commission is expected to present and vote on its final plan, which could combine aspects of any of the proposals and include other recommendations, like raising meter fees or imposing taxi surcharges.

The time and location of that Jan. 31 meeting has not been announced.

The state Legislature and the New York City Council both must approve the plan. If they act by March 31, the city would receive a $354 million federal grant to help launch it.

Notice the TV monitors on top.

Larger doors on each side will allow for quicker loading and unloading.

Here’s some more details on the new PATH cars that the Port Authority will use to eventually replace its entire fleet.

As we’ve previously noted, the cars will be have with video monitors offering news, weather and sports information supplied by WNBC, as well as PATH service announcements.

The Port Authority also said there will also be three doors on each side to make it easier to get on and off; closed circuit cameras on-board; better signs and lighting; pre-recorded station announcements; and equipment to make it possible for passengers to communicate directly with the crew.

One interesting feature is that the new cars will have a feature known as regenerative braking, which will allow the car to return some of the electrical power it uses to accelerate back to the power system when it goes into braking mode.

The agency will receive the first test train of new PATH cars this year and expects to replace its entire 340-car fleet by 2011, as well as adding up to 119 new cars to the fleet.

By spending $3.3 billion on the PATH system over the next decade, the Port Authority is seeking to lure more commuters to mass transit. The changes will increase system capacity by about 25 percent.

The system now handles approximately 242,000 passenger trips each weekday.

The Port Authority sent me pictures of the new cars, but I’ve had some trouble re-sizing them to post on the blog. Look for them as soon as I work out the kinks.

Assemblywoman Ellen Jaffee wants to make sure the project team studying the future of the Tappan Zee Bridge and I-287 corridor factor in other mass transit projects in the region, particularly a proposed second rail tunnel under the Hudson River that would give Rockland residents a one-seat ride into Manhattan.

Jaffee, D-Suffern, issued a press release last night.

Here are some of her comments.

On the project’s costs: “Some of the proposed options will cost billions more than suggested. So I do not want to see duplication between the service provided by NJ Transit and Metro North to midtown. I have seen the projections for increased ridership, and I’m concerned that the TZB proposal will not fully reflect those numbers when evaluating the real demand for this service. The agencies involved with providing services must cooperate—not compete.â€?

On the actual demand for service in Rockland: “I have still not seen data that shows how mass transit will serve the needs of the vast majority of commuters who use the TZB. Over 80 percent of all commuters who travel over the bridge are headed toward jobs in Westchester and Connecticut. We need to see how any mass transit option can provide direct service to so many spread out workplace locations, and multiple transfers deter commuters from mass transit. I am fully behind mass transit options for Rockland, but we must not spend taxpayer dollars on impractical options.�

On the big picture: “We have to stop looking at these projects in isolation. We are part of a larger region, and we need to have a regional plan for transportation, or taxpayers will end up paying the price for poor planning. Ultimately, this is a project that will have a substantial impact on Rockland’s neighborhoods, so we want to be sure that it serves Rockland residents.�

For the record, the Tappan Zee Bridge/I-287 project team has said they are factoring in ridership numbers from the Access to the Region’s Core tunnel project, a joint venture of NJ Transit and the Port Authority.

Ferry service between Haverstraw and Ossining ferry will be suspended for the remainder of this week due to ice on the Hudson River.

Bus service is being provided between the dock in Haverstraw village and Tarrytown train station for the 250 daily riders who use the Metro-North Railroad ferry.

Operations could resume this week if the weather warms up.

The ferry service, operated by New York Waterway, was suspended earlier this month for one day also due to icing in the Ossining Cove.

Read the advisory here.

The Port Authority today will unveil a full-size mock-up of one of its new PATH cars.

The new cars, which will be phased in later this year, will come with new features, including closed-circuit TV screens that will provide news, weather and sports information.

The new cars are part of the Port Authority’s $3.3 billion, 10-year plan to overhaul the PATH system and increase capacity by 25 percent.

More details, and maybe pictures, as they’re made available.

The number of accidents on five Mid-Hudson River bridges dropped last year from 2006, even though there were more accidents on the Bear Mountain Bridge in 2007 .

The state Bridge Authority said there were 153 accidents in 2007 on the Bear Mountain, Newburgh-Beacon, Mid-Hudson Kingston-Rhineclif, Rip Van Winkle Bridge combined, down from 171 in 2006. However, accidents on the Bear Mountain Bridge rose from 11 to 15 last year.

The largest drop was at the Newburgh-Beacon Bridge, which saw a decrease from 73 in 2006 to 56 in 2007.

In 2003, 2004, and 2006, there were 11 accidents on the Bear Mountain Bridge, and only 9 in 2005. Last year’s increase was attributed to random incidents, the agency said.

The Bridge Authority, which operates the five bridges, said a driver’s chance of being in an accident on one of its bridges has decreased to 1 in every 385,000 crossings.

A public hearing on controversial plans to charge drivers a fee to enter Manhattan’s busiest areas will be held next week in Westchester.

The meeting will be held at 6 p.m., Thursday at the Westchester County Center at 198 Central Ave. in White Plains. It take places in meeting rooms A-B on the first floor.
Five public hearings will be held in the Bronx, Brooklyn, Staten Island, Queens and Long Island at the same time on the same night. A public hearing was held in Manhattan last night.

There are five proposals under consideration, each of which could be implemented as they stand or in some combination:

• New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s original vision, in which cars would pay $8 and trucks $21 to travel south of 86th Street between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. weekdays. Those traveling through Manhattan on the West Side Highway or the FDR Drive would not pay a fee. The plan would generate $420 million, but it has high operating costs and could hurt low- and moderate-income workers who drive into the city but don’t have mass-transit choices. The fees would be collected using a combination of E-ZPass tag readers and cameras taking pictures of license plates at hundreds of city entry points. It’s expected to reduce vehicle miles traveled by 6.7 percent.

• An alternative would reduce the size of the congestion-pricing zone, setting its north boundary at 60th Street and getting rid of the $4 fee for drivers traveling within the zone under Bloomberg’s plan. Metered parking rates would be increased, and a $1 taxi/livery surcharge would be added. The plan would generate $520 million a year, but all drivers, even those passing through Manhattan, would have to pay the fee. It would reduce vehicle miles traveled by 6.8 percent.

• Collecting tolls on the East River and Harlem River is also under consideration. Drivers would pay a $4 toll to enter and to leave Manhattan on 14 bridges, including the Henry Hudson Bridge. This plan would produce the most money for the city, $859 million a year, but because the tolls would be collected 24 hours a day, seven days a week, it would affect all drivers, even those who do not contribute to congestion. It would reduce vehicle miles traveled by 7 percent.

• Under a fourth plan, access to the busiest parts of Manhattan would be restricted based on the last digit of a vehicle’s license plate. This way, the city would be able to ban a vehicle once every five days. Certain vehicles would be exempt. The plan would not raise any money for mass transit, but would eliminate arguments that congestion pricing favored the well-off. It would reduce vehicle miles traveled by 10.3 percent.

• A fifth, combination plan would not reduce miles traveled by the required 6.3 percent, but some of its elements could be woven into the panel’s final recommendation. It would have increased the city’s parking tax from 18.4 percent to 38.4 percent, raised meter rates, reduced the number of government parking permits by 10,000, charged a $2 parking fee in the congestion zone and added an $8 surcharge for taxi trips that start or end south of 86th Street.

The New York City Traffic Congestion Mitigation Commission will meet Jan. 31 for the last time, when it will recommend a final proposal to the state Legislature. State lawmakers and the New York City Council must both approve a plan for it to take effect.

Here are the other hearing locations. Note that all of the meetings begin at 6 p.m., Thursday, Jan. 24.

• Medgar Evers College
1650 Bedford Avenue
Brooklyn

• College of Staten Island – Center for the Arts, Recital Hall 1P
2800 Victory Blvd
Staten Island

• Hostos Community College – Savoy Multi-purpose Room
120 Walton Avenue
Bronx

• York College Performing Arts Center
94-20 Guy R Brewer Blvd btw Liberty & Archer
Jamaica

• Hofstra University – University Club
(north of Main Gate)
Hempstead

Fuel-sipping hybrids, high-end luxury vehicles and a concept car will be on display starting this Saturday at the 2008 Northern New Jersey Auto Show in Secaucus.

You can sit behind the wheels, check out the engines, pretty much do everything but drive the hundreds of new cars, trucks, crossovers and sport/utility vehicles.

Chevrolet, Nissan, Ford, Toyota, Mercury and others will have their hybrid models on hand.

The Suzuki RoadRace, a customized street version of the Suzuki SX4 built by Road Race Motorsports, will be the featured concept car. According to organizers, it has “a flashy two-tone paint scheme, shaved roof racks and a vented carbon fiber hood, as well as custom 18-inch Enkei NTO+3 wheels and Toyo Proxes sport tires.”

If you like to look at what you can’t afford to buy, there will be several Lamborghini models to drool over, including the Murcielago LP640, Gallardo Superleggera and Gallardo Spyder.

The show takes place at the Meadowlands Exposition Center in Secaucus, N.J.

Here are the show hours:

Saturday, Jan. 19: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Sunday, Jan. 20: 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Thursday, Jan. 24: 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.

Friday, Jan. 25: 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.

Saturday, Jan. 26: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Sunday, Jan. 27: 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Admission is $8 for adults and $4 for seniors (62 and older) and children (4-11). Children 3 and younger are admitted free of charge when accompanied by a paying adult. Attendees will receive a free one-year subscription to Motor Trend magazine with each adult box office admission purchase.

Free parking will be available all show days at the Meadowlands parking garage.

A $2 discount coupon is available on the show’s Web site.

Those 11 and younger will be admitted free when accompanied by a paying adult this Sunday and next Sunday.

A bolt on a loose steel plate damaged car tires on the Tappan Zee Bridge during this morning’s rush-hour commute.

Westchester-bound traffic was slowed due to debris that ended up blocking two right-hand lanes around 7:30 a.m.

Thruway Authority spokeswoman Kimberly Chupa said a bolt on the plate, which is used to cover potholes or punch-throughs, came loose. It ended up sticking up from the roadway, likely causing the tire damage.

Chupa said the pounding the road deck takes from traffic can cause plates to loosen.

Thruway crews were sent out to tighten the bolt on the plate.

Both lanes was reopened by 8:10 a.m., but there were residual delays on I-87, Interstate 287 and the Palisades Interstate Parkway.

Neither Chupa nor state police knew how many vehicles had been affected.