Drivers Experience Long Lines, Delays As MVC Facilities Reopen

RANDOLPH, NJ – After the state delayed reopening its MVC licensing and vehicle centers around the state until Tuesday, local drivers have already experienced long delays in attempting to actually get into their area center.

But now, the combination of heavy traffic and impatient customers with other things to do on Tuesday have led to angst and frustration.

Locally, video of local residents waiting to get into MVC facility at 160 Canfield Ave. shows lines that snake from the doors to the parking lot filled with residents attempting to use the facility's services for the first time since mid-March.

According to the Daily Record, Canfield Avenue was blocked in both directions and the line backed up a quarter-mile along Route 10 west. The line is closed to new patrons, the newspaper reported Tuesday morning.

Around New Jersey, residents have reported waiting more than three hours to gain entry and media reports have indicated that fights have broken as levels of impatience grows. And as frustrations grew, local residents took to social media to express their feelings on the situation and to provide a glimpse of what lines looked like for fellow drivers considering making a trip to a local MVC facility.

MVC facilities around the state have been closed for the past four months due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. After state officials announced initially that centers would open June 29, reopening the sites was delayed until Tuesday due to on-going coronavirus concerns. The state announced that the centers will be closed on Mondays during July to provide for deep cleaning of facilities, which pushed the reopening of area centers to Tuesday.

Additionally, New Jersey's MVC wanted to start using a text notification system to let drivers know when it was their turn in line — but at the last minute, the state announced it needs more testing and is not ready for the July 7 reopening.

"We intended to rely on our new text notification system to check people in, then allow them to leave the building and go elsewhere," MVC Chief Administrator Sue Fulton said in a news release. "Unfortunately, this new system requires further testing, so we will not be able to open as fully as we anticipated ... Without the text notification system, the number of people waiting for transactions who will need to be on site will far exceed capacity limitations."

Along with frustrated motorists, Sen. Anthony Bucco voiced his displeasure with the state's handling of Tuesday's reopening of facilities across New Jersey. In a news release issued Tuesday, Bucco said that he warned Fulton months ago that she needed to have a plan for a smooth reopening of MVC facilities to avoid overcrowding.

After witnessing what happened Tuesday, Bucco said that it is clear his warning went unheeded.

"They ignored me, they ignored New Jersey residents, and this is the result," Bucco wrote in the news release.

“Clearly, they have no plan,” Bucco continued, calling the situation that unfolded on Tuesday unsafe. “Look at the situation. The lines are horrendous. They had to know this was coming. I warned them and everybody knew it. This is a failure of leadership from the top down, and New Jersey residents deserve better.”

In addition to voicing his displeasure with how state officials handled the reopening, Bucco suggested extending the expiration dates on driver’s licenses and vehicle registrations once again to limit the urgency and the crowds.

“MVC is overwhelmed and understaffed,” Bucco said. “This should have been handled better, but for now, let’s push the pause button and buy some time. People shouldn’t have to put their health at risk and waste a day to renew their paperwork.”