UPDATED Rahway, Springfield, And Other NJ DMV's Reopen To Crowds

WESTFIELD, NJ — After New Jersey's Division of Motor Vehicles agencies reopened Tuesday after months of closure, with new rules (see below), several had to shut down because of overcrowding, and others experienced hours-long waits since early in the morning.

[UPDATE: Murphy responds with change of schedule: Click here.]

At the Rahway DMV in Union County, people complained that they were waiting on long lines since as early as 4 a.m.

Police in some parts of the state, police advised people to go another day.

The state had designated some of the centers as only for testing, others for license renewals, and others for inspection (see links below to find out where to go).

Assemblyman John Bramnick and DMV Chief Administrator Brenda "Sue" Fulton had a Twitter exchange about the matter on Tuesday morning, after Bramnick posted photos of lines at a Springfield, NJ location.

Twitter users complained about the Rahway center on Tuesday:

@GovMurphy WHAT is the problem that DMV can't be organized??? People have been waiting at the Rahway DMV since 4:00 a.m. this morning. The road leading to the DMV office has been blocked off. This is chaos! It needs to be fixed!
— Michele (@MommaJKnows)

Wow I told my mom to come to the dmv by my house cus it’s better than Newark or Rahway... nvm I just set my mom up
— dragonfruit (@nicc_xo)

Another person Tweeted, "Went to Rahway DMV this morning. Cops closed off parking creating a mile long traffic jam. And then there was a huge line that circled the DMV building to get in. Didn't bother getting out of my car. They had months to plan this. What a joke!"

DMV Chief Administrator Fulton issued a statement, in response to the tie-ups: “We look forward to reopening as a reimagined MVC that will allow us to streamline services and keep crowds down."

The Governor's Office had sent out the following press release for Tuesday:

<blockquote>

Limited Operations Include New Licenses, New Registrations

MVC Licensing Centers and Vehicle Centers will be open starting Tuesday, July 7, with major changes to the way the MVC has traditionally done business.

Perhaps the biggest overall change to MVC operations is that every agency has been designated either a Vehicle Center (no license transactions) or a Licensing Center (no registration transactions). Check the MVC website for the appropriate location for your transaction.

In Vehicle Center agencies, MVC will be processing vehicle transactions only:

• Registration/title transfers for private sales.
• New registrations/titles, individual and in bulk.
• Salvage titles.
• License plate transactions.
• No renewals for unexpired registrations. Those can be done online at NJMVC.gov.
• No driver license or personal ID transactions will be done at Vehicle Centers.

In Licensing Center agencies, MVC will be processing driver license and ID transactions only:

• First-time licenses and permits (REAL ID will be an option).
• Out-of-state transfers.
• Expired CDLs, TVRs (temporary visa restricted licenses), and any other expired licenses not eligible for online renewal.
• REAL ID, only if:
  • You have a scheduled appointment.
  • You have an email verifying your appointment was cancelled.
  • You are due for renewal of your Standard license or non-driver ID.

• No other REAL ID walk-ins will be allowed.
• No driver knowledge tests at this time.
• No replacements, changes of address, or standard driver license renewals that can be done online at NJMVC.gov.
• No vehicle transactions: no registration or title work will be done at Licensing Centers.

Face coverings will be required inside all MVC facilities. Customers who cannot wear face coverings should contact MVC for alternate arrangements.

Another major change is that Vehicle Centers and Licensing Centers will not process transactions that can be conducted through the NJMVC.gov website, in order to limit unnecessary visits to MVC agencies. A list of available online transactions is posted on the Online Services page of the MVC website.

Customers are also reminded that expiration dates for driver licenses, registrations, inspections stickers, and temporary tags have been extended to at least July 31.

</blockquote>

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