Port Authority launches public poll to decide fate of awkward Holland Tunnel holiday decorations
Photo via Flickr cc
Update 12/17/18: Following the public poll, the Port Authority says they will move the Christmas tree over the A and remove the wreath over the U in Tunnel.
The Port Authority is asking commuters to weigh in on the great Holland Tunnel holiday decoration debacle that many are calling an “OCD nightmare.” While the decorations have historically been placed to sit aligned symmetrically above the tunnel lanes, workers who were tasked with decking out the tolls created an eyesore by placing a triangular tree over the N in “Holland” and by putting a wreath over the U, turning the “Tunnel” into a “Tonnel.” As the New York Post reported, Cory Windelspecht of Tribeca decided to start a Change.org petition to challenge the decor faux pas. “I look at it and it makes me itch. It gives me anxiety and anger,” he fumed. “Why wouldn’t they just put [the tree] in front of the A?”
? The Port Authority of NY & NJ wants commuters’ opinion on the 2018 Great Holland Tunnel Decoration Debate! Polls are open through Sunday. ? https://t.co/4ShmFOlGc1 pic.twitter.com/hr2HFubqca
— Port Authority NY&NJ (@PANYNJ) December 12, 2018
By Wednesday night, the petition had over 1,500 signatures and the Budweiser brewery in Newark had declared solidarity with Windelspecht. The Port Authority responded with a cheeky statement announcing a public poll to settle the matter: “From the media arose such a clatter, that the only solution would be to settle the matter…by asking the public, ‘What do you think?’ If we’re going to move trees, we should all be in sync!…And thus to our wondering eyes does appear: a short simple poll to gauge holiday cheer.”
The public can choose from four options: Leave the decorations alone, move the tree from the N to the A, move the tree and also remove the wreath from the U, or add a second tree above the A but keep the existing tree over the N to make the decorations symmetrical.
Fight the good fight and have your say! Polls are open until 5 PM on Sunday. The Port Authority will be making the decided upon change before Monday morning’s rush hour.
RELATED:
