For the two or three of you who read this blog that are not from New Jersey, let me explain. Governor Corzine has proposed a
solution to New Jersey's fiscal problems that involves raising the current 35 cent Parkway toll to close to $2.00 over the next 6 years. That means for me to visit my wife's family in North Jersey it will go from $2.40 round trip in tolls to $16.00 round trip in tolls. What? Is he crazy?
The benefit of this toll increase will be to cut the state debt in half and fund the Transportation Trust Fund for the next 75 years, or so we are told. Of course it will also mean the creation of New quasi-government agency (similar to the current regional water authorities that are in most parts of the state). The start up cost to this agency is $35 million dollars.
I was thinking about some of the other down sides of this proposal as a person living at the Jersey Shore. One area that will have will be greatly impacted is
shore tourism. Will the increase in tolls result in fewer people coming down the shore for a summer weekend or for a day trip? Day trippers will need to put $16-30 out of pocket just to get to the beaches and the boardwalks. That is before paying for parking and beach access. They will have that much less money to spend on rides, arcades and food during their evening boardwalk stroll. There will be that much less money per car load going into our local economy.
Of course we locals love to complain about the
bennies and look forward to September every summer when we can get our beaches back. Let's face it though--our economy does depend on that annual influx of North Jersey and New York money.
Another negative impact is that the toll increase will result in a major shift in travel patterns. People who hop on the toll roads for a one or two exit ride as a way of getting off congested local roads will stop doing that. Already over burdened local roads will become even more overloaded. For instance in my town, which has a terribly congested local road problem, I hop on the parkway and pay 35 cents every morning to take my kids to school. If that toll gets hicked to $2.00, no way will I do that anymore. So you can add to the local roads every parent who is taking that short cut (and I know quite a few of them) at a time when our roads are most congested.
There has got to be a better way to solve our states problems. I have grown very appreciate for the insights of Steve Lonegan's Americans for Prosperity organization. Today he published an article entitled
Governor Corzine Asked for a Better Plan--Here It Is! I would really encourage you to read it. Even if you do not agree with Lonegan's political philosophy, at least this article shows that there is another way to fix the problems of our state rather than increasing the cost of living and working in this state dramatically, the net result of which will be to drive even more people out of this state.
I have lived in New Jersey all my life. I love our state. I don't want to to have to leave.
corzine
toll hikes
New Jersey
taxes
Garden State Parkway
posted @ Thursday, January 17, 2008 9:27 AM