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."

Suburban communities snubbing public transit suffer the consequences

NJ.com: "Now the lack of transportation "options is viewed as one of Hunterdon County's main weaknesses," according to the Hunterdon County Economic Development Strategy, and is one that "adds to a high cost of living.""

Baraka, on bus, calls for federal help on public transport as state funds falter

New Jersey News: "Baraka, along with New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and others, rode public transportation to draw attention to their desire for the U.S. Congress to reauthorize the act, which helps provide federal funding to support transportation infrastructure construction and other initiatives nationwide. The act will expire on May 31."

Public transportation training available for seniors

NJ.com: "MONTCLAIR — Lifelong Montclair and the New Jersey Travel Independence Program are hosting a seminar for senior citizens seeking to expand their understanding of public transportation."

Commuting Trends in NJ Show Tilt Toward Taking Public Transit

NJ Spotlight: "But more of those additional workers chose to take buses, trains and other public transportation to work, with the number of those workers using mass transit rising by 6 percent to nearly 11 percent."

Car culture leaves people stranded in South Jersey

NJ.com: "With those counties suffering from some of the worst economic hardships in the state, Van Drew believes residents deserve an easier way to get around.

"The lack of access to public transportation in those counties has a major impact on those challenges," he said. "A lack of mobility for our residents impacts them not only economically, but educationally as well.""

Politicians serve oil industry, and it wants you back in your car

NJ.com: "It’s not easy, but they are doing the best they can in this time of second jobs and just-scraping-by salaries. They are doing so in a responsible way, not by adding to the congestion of North Jersey’s torturous traffic, but relying on environmentally friendly mass transit. Many moved to their homes in Hudson County specifically for access to the PATH stations.

“All the years we’ve rode these trains and supported them. And now they want to do this?” said one rider. “They don’t care about the little guy. They never do.”

As Di Ionno points out, the $10 million in estimated savings from ending overnight PATH service amounts to the Port Authority saving 1/10th of 1 percent, or 0.00128205128, of its $7.8 billion budget."