Toll scheme public meetings
January 6th 2008 08:00 am
The governor’s office has started releasing details of the public meetings for Governor Corzine’s secret monetization plan. The list of meetings can be found here. But you can’t just go and show up, you’re supposed to register in advance and provide your e-mail address and other personal information. However, the Governor’s spokeswoman says, “Anyone that shows up will be allowed in.”
Joe Versaggi responded on 08 Jan 2008 at 10:24 am #
He is calling for a 50% toll hike every 4 years until 2022 in order to cut the state debt and carry on with more futile road toll road-widening. Evidently, he thinks he can escape being “Florio-ized” by not proposing new taxes. Nonetheless, he will be labeled as such anyway and has forgotten that:
• the 3rd lowest state gasoline tax in the nation can be raised instead, be broader-based, and while affecting far more people, would not be as severe. If this is a shared sacrifice, non-toll-road users should pay as well. Even Assemblyman Wisniewski thinks so. Evidently he would rather maximize abuse on a smaller user base so as to minimize any adverse affects on his approval ratings and re-election chances,
• there will be spill-over affects onto roads like I-295, US1, and US9, and they will require more expenditures for maintenance,
• widening roads is a futile and costly exercise that attracts more sprawl and traffic,
• he can request municipalities and school systems merge so that local state aid, a significant portion of the state budget, can be more painlessly cut without an adverse affect on property taxes and local services. The only example I have ever seen of that is Peapack/Gladstone.
Bob Scheurle responded on 08 Jan 2008 at 12:10 pm #
I just did the math. If tolls are increased 50% every four years and 4% in the other years, tolls will increase by a factor of 7 by 2022. Also note that the first toll hike isn’t until after Corzine runs for re-election. How stupid does he think we are?
That’s a good point. After a previous increase in Turnpike tolls, there was a significant increase in trucks using routes 287/202/31, with innocent motorists being killed in fatal accidents as a result.
Joe Versaggi responded on 08 Jan 2008 at 12:48 pm #
Part of the reason for that truck route is the relatively new connection between the northern end of I287 with the NY Thruway system, and toll aversion. Furthermore, court orders have since lifted bans on 102″ wide trucks from roads like 31 between Buttsville and Trenton. Now every year, I see a new stretch of northern Route 31 getting resurfaced. It’s very nice, but why all of a sudden is it necessary?
Corzine is the guy who had to pull the 7% sales tax on gym memberships to save face, so why is he so naive to think he can get away with this?
Bob Scheurle responded on 08 Jan 2008 at 4:26 pm #
Based on the figures given in news reports, tolls will be going up over 8x. That means you’ll pay $5.75 at each Parkway toll plaza!