Christie, Cuomo Wary Of Toll Hike Plan

New York Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and New Jersey Governor Chris Christie today released the following statement regarding the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey's proposed toll hike plan:
 
"The Port Authority has informed us of its proposal to dramatically increase tolls on its tunnels and bridges and fares on the PATH.

While we understand the Port Authority leadership's concerns about a potential downgrade to its bond rating if toll increases are not instituted, our primary concern with this proposal is its impact on our respective states' residents and commercial users of the crossings.

A downgrade of the Port Authority's bond rating does indeed pose a potentially disastrous result on a transportation network that millions of residents of the states of New Jersey and New York rely on and would be unacceptable.

We will review the proposal with that in mind but have obvious and significant concerns. The Port Authority is facing financial issues but so are families in the states of New York and New Jersey, and the answer cannot always be an indiscriminate and exorbitant increase in the cost to the taxpayer, or in this case, toll payer. As families must carefully and effectively manage their finances at this difficult time, so must government.

It is our joint intention to cooperatively address this issue without regard for partisanship or parochialism, as was the intention and spirit of the creation of the Port Authority as a regional entity in 1921."

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Move To Privatize NJ Toll Roads Advances

The Christie administration appears to be moving in the direction of an all-automated, privatized New Jersey Turnpike and Garden State Parkway.
Here's a piece of the story from the Newark Star Ledger:

A plan to privatize manual collections on New Jersey's two major toll roads could save the state millions, but it's likely to cost 800 full- and part-time toll collectors their jobs.
Transportation Commissioner Jim Simpson said the state is slowly moving toward all-electronic toll collections. Meanwhile, he said two reports issued since Gov. Chris Christie took office 15 months ago bolstered the administration's push to privatize manual toll collections on the Turnpike and Garden State Parkway.

Click here to read the rest. 

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Christie Praises Authority For Ending Freebies

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie today issued the following statement welcoming the action taken yesterday by the Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission (DRJTBC) to come into compliance with his September 16, 2010 directive to abolish the practice of providing free E-Z Pass trips that are not available to the general public:   

“The granting of free passage to authority Commissioners, officers, employees or retirees, simply by virtue of their current or former employment, sends the wrong message to the toll paying public and represents yet another type of abuse common in New Jersey’s ‘shadow government.’ I’m pleased that the DRJTBC has joined the other entities in receipt of my directive and acted to come into compliance with my demand that these inappropriate perks be brought to an end. My Administration will continue to take a zero-tolerance policy when it comes to the abuse and misuse of public resources, and continue to insist on accountability and ethical conduct in the conduct of all authority, board and commission business.”   

Since taking office, Governor Christie has worked aggressively to rein in the waste, abuse and misuse of public funds and resources at so-called “independent” authorities, boards, commissions and bi-state agencies in New Jersey. The action taken by the DRJTBC brings it into line with similar prohibitions on the use of E-Z Pass and other free passage called for by Governor Christie and implemented by the New Jersey Turnpike Authority, the South Jersey Transportation Authority, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, the Delaware River Port Authority, and the Delaware River and Bay Authority.
On September 16, 2010, Governor Christie issued letters to each of those agencies demanding that they move to eliminate the use of E-Z Pass perks at toll payer expense. Those letters and the accompanying press release are available here.

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