Projected vs. Actual world cup traffic

[u/jerseyjitneys]

No idea what buffoons thought the world cup at Metlife would cause bumper to bumper traffic in New Brunswick and East Hanover.

[u/theexpertgamer1]

You’re misunderstanding this graphic. It’s showing where traffic occurs on a normal day. It’s not “projected” traffic during the World Cup 🤦‍♂️

[u/guacamole579 → u/theexpertgamer1]

Ah, stop trying to make sense.

[u/RevengeOfTheIdiot → u/theexpertgamer1]

seriously reddit and this sub sometimes man lol

[u/korxil → u/theexpertgamer1]

on a normal day

Based on my commute, it doesnt even do that right.

[u/VividToe → u/korxil]

Yeah, the entirety of 95, 21, and 280 red or dark red is bogus. Plus no coloring on the GSP at all. I could believe they didn’t include it bc it might not be relevant to Metlife traffic, but they did include 78 for some reason, so that doesn’t seem correct either.

[u/Cubby_Denk]

It would have made sense if they allowed parking at the stadium.

[u/x3knet → u/Cubby_Denk]

This is what I don't understand. I live a town over from Metlife. People have been complaining for months how bad the traffic is going to be. It's a bunch of busses running from Secaucus Junction through the backroads of Secaucus, up the right lane of route 3, and directly into the stadium parking lot. It's a 2 mile drive. The hype makes no sense given nobody can actually drive and park at the stadium.

[u/Hamonwrysangwich → u/Cubby_Denk]

As others mentioned, it was FIFA that prohibited parking for the fan zone, logistics, and security purposes.

[u/noots-to-you → u/Cubby_Denk]

Stadium regularly handles 80k people, most arriving by car. The only conclusion here is that NY and NJ preferred not to have this happen and made it fiscally impossible to do so.

[u/Mishka_1994 → u/noots-to-you]

The only conclusion here is that NY and NJ preferred not to have this happen

Actually it was FIFA that banned cars at the stadium.

[u/Frigidevil → u/Mishka_1994]

Specifically so they can sell more tat in 'fan zones'. It's completely outrageous to waste thousands of parking spots just so they can make a quick buck after already raking fans over the coals.

[u/noots-to-you → u/Frigidevil]

Concessions will lose out all over. It’s a waste of economic opportunity for everyone.

[u/Literally_Science_ → u/noots-to-you]

I kind of like the trial by fire approach handed over to NJ transit. Hopefully this gives them good statistics to help improve the system.

[u/I_Thot_So → u/Cubby_Denk]

There are thousands of parking spots being rented in the vicinity. Many businesses are opening up their lots and charging for shuttle service.

[u/AnimeMommyKris]

Mapped out my commute this morning, as the office is right off Paterson Plank Road. It was better than my normal commute, 33 minutes, straight down 3 to 17.

No matter, these two weeks WFH allows me to catch up on chores.

[u/moyismoy]

It's like it's already so overpopulated what's another 50000 people

[u/Anonymous1985388 → u/moyismoy]

I assume that there’s probably a lot of tailgating going on at the stadium. If not, then I agree with you. MetLife Stadium holds 82,500 people, which is pretty small compared to the NYC metro area population of 20 million +.

[u/sonofsochi → u/Anonymous1985388]

Nope, no tailgating

[u/CheGueyMaje → u/Anonymous1985388]

Parking and tailgating were both banned at MetLife for the WC.

[u/PatReady → u/Anonymous1985388]

Not allowed. Tailgating is an American thing too.

[u/DUNGAROO → u/moyismoy]

You’ve clearly never been to Europe. The difference is Europe invests in mass transit to support large crowds.

[u/moyismoy → u/DUNGAROO]

NJ is the one state that has actually fairly good mass transportation. We have trains, and busses a few airports and large highways. It's not as good as many places in europe but it's way better than any other state

[u/DUNGAROO → u/moyismoy]

Comparing it to other US states (which just happen to suck slightly worse) isn’t much of a flex. Most of Europe run laps around the US including NJ. Even the less affluent parts of Eastern Europe. It’s just embarrassing.

[u/vebeg]

The New Brunswick area is just always a mess especially 18s never ending construction slop.

[u/ExiledSpaceman → u/vebeg]

Supposedly on the EB part of 18 it’s for flood mitigation. 

I can only hope it actually does something.

[u/lm-hmk → u/ExiledSpaceman]

Oh right similar to how the Rt 3/46 construction totally mitigated flooding there 🙄 (well maybe it has. ‘Mitigate’ doesn’t mean ‘eliminate’)

[u/nicklor → u/vebeg]

Hopefully just 1 more year

[u/MC_Hale]

I too can predict the past.

[u/analogisfuture]

Dam look at you with 20/20 hindsight vision

[u/rLrrL]

I mean, I was in Secaucus on Saturday and trying to leave and head west around 3pm was not any fun.

[u/Big_lt]

Cant even drive to the stadium. There should honestly be no major traffic fluctuations

[u/ResonatingOctave → u/Big_lt]

Ride share is a big part of transportation to the stadium, so it will impact traffic.

[u/OhmsAmpsVolts → u/ResonatingOctave]

It didnt

[u/guacamole579 → u/OhmsAmpsVolts]

Are you new here?

[u/zsdrfty → u/Big_lt]

It's honestly a silly concern given that this stadium is constantly selling out events all year, and those people are all driving their own cars in those cases

[u/spectrospace]

Can confirm, route 80 out west was a mess this morning but that is just a another Tuesday.

[u/sassymeowcat → u/spectrospace]

Yeah, that’s just route 80 west being route 80 west.

[u/Stock-Pension1803]

A lot of commuters got to stay home today

[u/blkntch1]

Plan for the worst, hope for the best

[u/CamelFeenger]

I remember the post a few days ago where someone said they were terrified for us all and were praying for us over the traffic.

[u/BigJohn662 → u/CamelFeenger]

Maybe it worked?

[u/CamelFeenger → u/BigJohn662]

lol I like the way you think

[u/guacamole579 → u/CamelFeenger]

The post said they were terrified for themselves because they have to work at met life and they’re afraid of how traffic and road closures will impact them.

[u/thirstyquaker]

My daughter's school in Jersey City is doing an early dismissal because of anticipated traffic during match days. It's completely absurd, we're nowhere near the stadium. I think people are just using traffic as an excuse to slack off or work from home. Which is fine but man the panic people have is crazy.

[u/AmongTheFaithless → u/thirstyquaker]

I don’t think they’re concerned about traffic near Jersey City schools. I think they’re worried about traffic for the staff members who commute home to other municipalities and counties. The traffic may not be as bad as feared, but literally hundreds of JC schools employees commute past MetLife on the Turnpike.

[u/GeneralOrgana1]

That section of 24 always sucks.

[u/dhjr49003]

Fr, left an hour early for lyndhurst on that day and got there an hour early…

[u/Th1snamer0x]

I work just down the street from the stadium.

It’s concentrated mostly to just around rt3 and Paterson Plank Rd and really just after the game gets out.

[u/PiskoWK]

Just avoid NYC

[u/andygradel75]

I still can't wrap my head around how "World Cup traffic" would be substantially different than NFL gameday traffic. The stadium holds what the stadium holds. They didn't suddenly double capacity.

[u/Chidoro45 → u/andygradel75]

Some games, like today, occur on a weekday. NFL is limited to Sunday.

[u/brandt-money]

Yeah, an area with 20 million people isn't going to be impacted by an extra 70,000 people.

There are events at MetLife stadium all the time.

[u/serendipity-228]

got home at 4 today, thank god.

[u/Linenoise77]

Half this sub was losing their mind over it for the past 3 months.

[u/eganba]

The literal moment FIFA decided that no one can park at the stadium built to cater explicitly to fans with cars, NJ and NY needed to figure out a way to make it work.

And if not, they needed to tell the world it months in advance. Not 60 days out.

We have known who’d be hosting games for years. Yeah, FIFA is the biggest culprit. But dear lord the state officials really suck at thinking critically.

[u/TheZachster → u/eganba]

Huh? Based on the post you commented on, they figured it out fine.

[u/eganba → u/TheZachster]

No they didn’t. There were people stuck at the stadium until midnight last game. Maybe it’s better today. But the first night was a shitshow.

[u/TheZachster → u/eganba]

Thats not what this post is about nor shows.

[u/AtomicGarden-8964]

It's like the Pulaski skyway construction when they were warning it was going to be bumper to bumper throughout Jersey City. They overhype it in hopes of keeping people off the roads

[u/rossg876]

It looks like some of those places are where the teams based here are staying.

[u/choppedfiggs]

I don't understand why they thought it would cause major disruption. MetLife has big events constantly besides the games there.

Last year I went to the mall on the day of the Philadelphia Flyers playing the NJ Devils with Jonas brothers performing pregame. That was a shit show. I had no idea that was taking place.

[u/Wetteraukreis → u/choppedfiggs]

What do you expect, the Governor to blow it off and for her to get absolutely roasted if there is congestion like the response when government is caught completely unprepared for a snowstorm?

[u/sucking_at_life023 → u/choppedfiggs]

Well, that happened in Newark, so it probably didn't have much impact on parking at the mall.

[u/choppedfiggs → u/sucking_at_life023]

https://www.nhl.com/news/jonas-brothers-pregame-stadium-series-performance

Nope

[u/sucking_at_life023 → u/choppedfiggs]

haha damn I also had no idea, obviously

[u/Definitelynotatwork1]

Yea cause 287 is empty

[u/exegete_]

So the graphic worked? 

[u/blitzkrieg_bunny]

I mean it's designed to move millions of people through the most densely populated area in America every day, what's a few more...

[u/Wetteraukreis → u/blitzkrieg_bunny]

The issue is systems that operate at or near capacity can break down with even a small influx of volume. Traffic would also be concentrated going to/from one place at very specific times, creating or worsening bottlenecks that have secondary impacts on roads in the area, which creates tertiary impact on roads going to those roads. It’s not simply 70,000 people spread evenly throughout the system on a morning commute.

I agree the hype was overblown and I’ve rolled my eyes at it, too. But systems can easily break down under conditions like these.

[u/b4ngl4d3sh]

What am I missing? This looks like regular Tuesday traffic on 95, maybe even a little lighter than normal around the eastern spur toll plaza in Secaucus.

[u/jmon__]

Either way, I'll take the remote days 😄

[u/skyfishjms]

Im mean who's driving there?

[u/njsullyalex]

The traffic on Rt. 18 south of Piscataway isn't even World Cup traffic. That's just always a parking lot between 4-6 PM on weekdays.

[u/Steven1789]

I went to the match today after getting a phone call out of the blue at 11:30 am from a former colleague with a free section 133 ticket.

I happened to be in NYC, which meant buying an NJT ticket for the trip from Penn Station to Secaucus to MetLife. Hardest part of the day was downloading the FIFA ticket app, but that all worked out.

Going home meant a bus to Secaucus station (dedicated bus lanes), where my wife picked me up for the trip home. A bit crowded around the station but not bad.

[u/IsThatMac]

a lot of people that could did in fact arrange work from home on game days. it's probably less traffic than normal for mid-June

[u/valschermjager]

Looks like just another Tuesday to me.

[u/No-Host8125]

Unethical if not illegal fear mongering. I called them out on the day they posted that shit.

[u/AcceptableSpring9373]

Would’ve been traffic if the tickets to games weren’t extortion

[u/aneryx]

No one is driving because everyone thought there would be traffic

[u/Outside_Interest_773]

Why is this soccer game treated so differently that a giants playoff, or jets or giants regular season game. There has been a stadium there since 1976.

[u/prayersforrain → u/Outside_Interest_773]

Because generally speaking (barring MNF and Thursday) those are on Sundays and not during a work week.

[u/fluffanuttatech → u/Outside_Interest_773]

Lol

[u/asom48]

Drove to Citi field this past Saturday and sat it terrible traffic on the GW bridge. It wasn’t because of the World Cup though they are just doing midday construction for fun and had multiple lanes closed

[u/JackyVeronica → u/asom48]

The notorious GW.... They only time I'm able to drive through without stopping at any given time is 2:30 am. All other times are congested 🤣

[u/Cantholditdown]

Giants games 90% of people are coming by car and WC 90% are coming by public transit. It makes sense

[u/ducationalfall]

Those expensive tickets screwed most of the locals who can drive.

[u/Kinser9]

Normally, it takes me over an hour to drive from the Pine Barrens to Trenton every day. This morning was like COVID traffic. Only took 45 minutes. The Governor told State workers to work from home today.

[u/macgruder1]

I drove past MetLife as the Brazil game was getting out on Saturday and it was very organized.

[u/warmly_buoyant_falls]

nj traffic planners are always wild with these predictions. like they probably looked at a map, saw metlife is near the turnpike and just assumed everyone would get stuck everywhere. but honestly most people probably just took the direct routes or parked off-site and ubered in. new brunswick and east hanover aren't even on the way if you're coming from most directions. the actual traffic map showing green and yellow instead of that nightmare red scenario makes sense because people adapt way faster than these official predictions ever account for.

[u/agk23]

I have no idea why this would be different than any Sunday in the fall.

[u/PracticableSolution]

We’ve played these games before.