Long lines, three-hour wait times, and stalled traffic on local roads and highways could all have been avoided if the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission (NJMVC) had planned ahead, according to State Sens. Anthony M. Bucco (R-25) and Kristin Corrado (R-40).
“Agencies have been shut down for months, and there are significant backlogs of renewals and transactions that must be completed. I as much as predicted this two months ago and I asked the commission for a plan,” said Bucco. “They ignored me, they ignored New Jersey residents, and this is the result.”
Bucco had written to NJMVC’s chief administrator in May, saying it should look to remote services during the pandemic to alleviate future backlogs.
Message from NJMVC Administration
Upon reopening, NJMVC Chief Administrator Sue Fulton noted the agency was expecting unusually high customer volumes for reopening July 7. The agency pre-deployed to busiest agencies two hours ahead of start time.
Additionally, the agency said its senior staff were deployed to help process transactions. It asked customers to visit the agency website to check for line times.
“While we understand the frustration of our customers in this extremely challenging and difficult time, our employees are doing the best they can to keep everyone safe and work as efficiently as possible,” she said.
A Lack of a Planning
Bucco lamented the agency’s lack of planning regarding reopening, saying it stemmed from a failure of leadership. He argued New Jersey residents deserved better.
“Look at the situation. The lines are horrendous. They had to know this was coming. I warned them and everybody knew it,” he said. Bucco had suggested extending expiration dates for driver’s licenses and vehicle registrations, extended until crowds had died down.
Corrado was baffled as well at the MVC being so unprepared, stating “It is crystal clear they are unprepared. People, waiting for many hours to complete necessary transactions, are living a nightmare.”
Safety Issues
The state senator noted at the Wayne MVC office in her legislative district, the situation was so bad the local police shut down the office as traffic backed up onto Route 46, creating a hazardous situation.
“NJMVC’s performance has been an abysmal failure,” Corrado said. “Locally, they were so overwhelmed they were utilizing police officers to screen cars on Route 46 before they entered the facility to get them into the right cues. It is obvious there has been no preparation, no planning, no leadership.”
The entire DMV/MVC needs an overhaul. I’ve been a driver in five states, licensed in three, and my teen is sbout to get a road test in Wayne. So I can tell you that from the road layouts to the rules of the road to the agency and all its procedures and paperwork the whole system sucks top to bottom.
One time I got 2 points for speeding, so I took a class to erase them. The instructor told me she’d heard of a guy with FIFTY-TWO points! She said the state makes him pay $400 per month to allow him to drive, CLEARLY a case of money over lives!
I wat to go for myvehicle inspection due in may. I have a handicap and l am a senior citizen. I cant sit in my car for hours. First of all the heat mixed with the medicine l take make me feel sick. Sitting in pain is a heartache also. I want to know when could l venture out to inspect my car with a regular wait.
This is horrific what l saw ontv and century road in paramus.
I sent in my renewal for my license on May 5th. I skipped the trip and now I do not have a current license because mine expired on June 30th. When will I get my license and what do I do until then. Do I keep on driving until I receive the new license in the mail? Do I not drive? Do I have to make a trip to the DNV. What do I do after I mailed it in as requested?
State Sens. Anthony M. Bucco (R-25) and Kristin Corrado (R-40) are complaining but why didn’t they bring this up instead of just waiting and complaining now? If they are State Senators perhaps they should have questioned how this was proceeding before this happened. The citizens of N.J. have a right to expect their State Senators to WORK TOGETHER to get thing done. With so much going on with Covid 19, perhaps they should have been proactive instead of trying to make this an issue when it is too late!