Should We Make “Local” Garden State Parkway Lanes For Locals Only? [Jersey’s Point Of Lou]

Here comes our favorite time of year. The sun, the boardwalk, the beaches and the tourists. All of those are welcome words to area businesses who are hoping for a big summer tourist season, and we would love to see it be the biggest summer ever! Even still I remember sitting on the Parkway one steamy Friday last summer.

When I say sitting, I mean sitting. My car didn't move for like ten minutes at least two or three times. I was in the local lanes. I started thinking, hey, how did that get it's name anyway ? I'm local...if they're going to call it that, then it should be for just locals, right? Why is EVERYBODY using my local lanes?

These are the kind of things that creep into your mind when you're in traffic for too long. During the first minute or so, you're in the "aww, that's cute Mom and Dad are taking the kids away for the weekend phase", during which you're happy to hit a little traffic if it helps a family kick off a nice trip.

If you've been motionless from 3 to 5 minutes, you reach the "I should have taken Route 35" phase, during which you question your roadway choices. No movement for 6 to 10 minutes and you hit the "why is this guy in front of me leaving 5 feet between him and the car in front of him" phase. Now you're getting edgy.

Once you're over 10 minutes in the same spot, you have reached the "local lanes for locals only" phase. At that point you should get off at the next exit and consider it a lesson learned. Ultimately the "local lanes for locals only is a doomed movement. Deep down, we know we want our local businesses to have a great season and that means more cars on the Parkway. So I'm here to say the "Local" lanes are open to everyone!! It was a nice daydream though.

[Jersey's Point of Lou is a weekly column featuring the opinions of 94.3 The Point's Lou Russo sounding off about all things Jersey! Have a topic you'd like to see Lou talk about? Leave a comment below.]