ANGELINI AND RIBLE ON TOLL INCREASES:

ANGELINI AND RIBLE ON TOLL INCREASES:

 HOW MANY REVIEWS WILL IT TAKE UNTIL THE PROPOSAL IS ‘ZERO’

Not the time for Commuters to Bear any Increase

As the New Jersey Turnpike Authority revealed its third proposal for increasing tolls on the Garden State Parkway and the New Jersey Turnpike, Assemblywoman Mary Pat Angelini and Assemblyman Dave Rible, both representing the 11th Legislative District, wondered how long it will take the state’s transportation commissioner and Governor Corzine to realize that now is not the time to tap into the pockets of commuters and residents of New Jersey.  The latest plan calls a 42% increase for the average trip on the Turnpike beginning in December, and a 43% increase on the Parkway, also commencing in December.

“As Governor Corzine prepares to address a joint session of the legislature next week on the financial crisis, he would have more credibility in his empathy for New Jerseyans if the third attempt at addressing tolls resulted in no increase at all,” stated Angelini (R – Monmouth).  “If the administration were sensitive to the anxieties people in the state have about their job status and financial situation, then this plan would have been tabled long ago.  Given the tumultuous results on Wall Street and the impending fallout facing many people, our response cannot be ‘business as usual.’  Twice before people have strongly opposed this concept, and this will time it will be no different.”

Further details of the plan call for an additional 53% increase on the Turnpike in 2012, and a 50% increase on the Parkway in the same year.  Both roadways would not experience an increase in 2023 as called for in the previous proposal.  In addition, the Authority’s latest scheme calls for eliminating the 30 open jobs that currently exist, and a further reduction of 200 positions over the next four years through attrition, though these jobs have not been identified.  The state’s $1.25 billion contribution to the new Hudson rail tunnel remains in tact.

“As I’ve stated previously, the people who will bear much of the burden from the toll increases are residents of Monmouth County,” commented Rible (R – Monmouth).  Rible also urged the Corzine administration to consider the Republican proposal to replenish the Transportation Trust Fund with $500 million from motor vehicle revenues to pay for necessary projects that would negate any need to increase tolls. “Each time the Turnpike Authority comes out with a different plan to increase tolls, I will voice my objection.  With all the financial turmoil the state is experiencing, we need to think outside the box for answers and not ask commuters to dig deeper into their pockets.  The only acceptable rate increase for the Turnpike and Parkway is zero.”                                        ######