Government #autosprawl trolls want you back in your car, in a traffic jam.

7 things to know about the NJ Transit fare hike for train and bus riders: "TRENTON – Train and bus riders will be doomed to a 9 percent fare hike if the annual budget state lawmakers will vote on Thursday isn't tweaked. ...Members of New Jersey For Transit, an 18-member coalition calling for more equitable transportation funding, said at a press conference Wednesday commuters were betrayed by lawmakers from both parties when the budget bill was worked on the day before."

Our County Needs a Reliable Public Transportation System

Cape May County Herald: " Highways, bridges, and industry that will most certainly tamper with the unique aspects of Cape May County and redesign the southern-most tip of New Jersey into a mirror reflection of the northern end is not a good idea. Am I the only one who thinks the new overpasses on the parkway are a hideous eyesore? Instead of paving over paradise, the discussion should acknowledge that a critical need exists for a reliable public-transportation system. Our population is largely elderly; our seasonal workers are often too young to drive or sojourning without a vehicle; and many others find that owning a vehicle in New Jersey is cost-prohibitive – ranking right up there with health insurance. Additionally, our mainland is a small peninsula, bordered by tiny barrier islands, composed of natural habitats that must be preserved – such as wetlands and pinelands. Where will highways and bridges, with their snarl of ramps and side roads, be located? Furthermore, building roads will not relieve the congestion that already exists, it will only increase it; therefore, previous suggestions for mitigating traffic gridlock would have required island visitors to park and ride trolleys. Be a true visionary, and imagine the landscape with creative and enterprising inspiration: An easily accessible, county-wide public-transportation system of buses, trolleys, and trains (using roads and reviving rails that already exist) would add to the charm and attraction of our quaint corner, encouraging tourists and locals alike to park and ride. America has a teenager’s obsession with the car culture, and it is time to grow up. An affordable, safe, and regular mass-transit system is the provision we need so we can get to our jobs, classes, doctors’ appointments, etc., and so we can lessen, not exacerbate, our impact on our delicate environment. Mass transit would be good for both our biological and our entrepreneurial ecosystems.

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'via Blog this'

Mass Transit Coalition Calls on State and NJ Transit to Kill Proposed Fare Hikes

Planet Princeton: "A coalition of mass transit advocates is urging the state to kill plans to hike bus and train fares by nine percent and cut schedules and routes.

New Jersey For Transit, an 18-member coalition that is calling for more equitable transportation funding, testified at a packed NJ Transit’s Board of Director’s meeting this morning, urging NJ Transit and leaders in Trenton to work together to find a budgetary solution to stave of the fare hikes and service cuts."

New Jersey Faces a Transportation Funding Crisis, With No Clear Solution

NYTimes.com: "Whatever happens with the gas tax, many New Jerseyans soon will be paying more to get to work. New Jersey Transit has proposed raising fares by about 9 percent for its 915,000 daily riders, and an increase of some amount is all but certain. Federal and state subsidies as a share of the agency’s annual budget have been falling, and that has left it increasingly reliant on fares to cover costs, even as many passengers say service is slipping."