Plenty of parking for papal visit
LINDENWOLD Officials on Friday urged South Jerseyans to brave the crowds at this weekend's papal events, as early indicators showed public interest has been slow to build.
So far, motorists have pre-registered for only about 275 of the 8,000 parking spaces available on Camden's Waterfront, which has been billed as the "gateway" for Pope Francis' visit to Philadelphia, Mayor Dana Redd said.
In addition, the PATCO Hi-Speedline has sold about 18,000 of 75,000 papal passes intended for use Saturday and Sunday, noted Camden County Freeholder Jeffrey Nash.
"There should be plenty of space available," said Nash, who is also a commissioner for PATCO's operator, the Delaware River Port Authority.
"It's better to have and not need, than to need and not have," said Redd, acknowledging crowd volume could be less than expected.
Nash said he plans to attend Sunday afternoon's papal Mass on the Ben Franklin Parkway, which is expected to draw the largest crowd of Francis' two-day visit.
"I'm not Catholic, but I believe this is a truly joyous occasion," Nash said. "You don't have to be Catholic to embrace the pope's message of hope and justice. In my view it's a once-in-a-lifetime event and you should be there."
He noted PATCO will sell passes Saturday and Sunday at its four active South Jersey stations — Lindenwold, Woodcrest, Ferry Avenue and Broadway. The rail line is not selling tickets at its sole Philadelphia station open during the pope's visit, 9th/10th and Locust streets.
PATCO is running only one-way trains over the weekend — going into Philadelphia until 4 p.m. and returning to South Jersey after 5:30 p.m.
Similarly, Redd noted Waterfront parking spaces will be offered Saturday and Sunday at about $44 each. Lot patrons will be able to reach Philadelphia by ferry, via a nearby PATCO station or by walking across the nearby Ben Franklin Bridge.
Motorists can preregister at gatewaytothepope.clickandpark.com. Drivers also will be directed to the lots from checkpoints set up at Camden entry points.
"Vehicles that are not preregistered (for Waterfront parking) will not be permitted into the city," the county noted in a statement.
Authorities have estimated as many as 1.5 million people could jam Center City for the pope's visit, which has prompted unprecedented traffic restrictions and security measures. They more recently have described that as the most extreme scenario, "but we're prepared for the most volume," said Robin Blaker, Camden County's director of public safety.
Among other traffic restrictions, the Ben Franklin Bridge was to close to vehicular traffic at 10 p.m. Friday; it will be open to pedestrians over the weekend. Admiral Wilson Boulevard and Interstate 676 were among roads being closed near the bridge in Camden.
Officials said Saturday morning pedestrians and bicyclists will not be permitted to access the bridge via the walkways on Admiral Wilson Boulevard.
The officials spoke at a news conference drawing attention to the county's joint operations center in Lindenwold, where representatives of more than 25 law enforcement agencies will track events during the pope's stay. The nerve center, which began operations at 8 a.m. Friday in the county's Public Safety Building, will continue until Monday night, officials said.
"We're monitoring traffic on a regular basis," noted Jim Jankowski, the county's chief of communications. He said the facility also is in direct contact with a New Jersey State Police intelligence center in West Trenton.
A separate operations center, the state's Unified Command Post, is operating from donated space at Campbell Soup Co. headquarters in Camden.
"All of our deployments are being done from this center," said State Police Capt. Stephen Jones, noting hundreds of troopers will operate from the site over the weekend. The center also holds representatives of various state agencies, including the Department of Transportation and NJ Transit, and the American Red Cross.
Jim Walsh; (856) 486-2646; jwalsh@gannettnj.com