In case all of you Jersey folks out there don’t know, its now going to cost us more to travel in state. The last two times I traveled on the parkway I saw signs that the fare would increase on December 1st. If you don’t know, some tolls on the Garden State Parkway are 70 cents and some, in less traveled areas of the parkway that you pay going both ways, are 35 cents. Well now those 70 cents tolls are going to be 1 dollar and those measly 35 cents tolls will now run us a clean half dollar. I don’t know about anyone else, but I am upset. I don’t like having to pay to drive. Gas is going down for who knows how long, and now tolls are up. We just can’t win. Driving can be such a nuisance. For those who travel the turnpike that has went up as well. The average 22 mile trip is going up from 1.25 to 1.70.
I can understand the need to raise tolls, but it doesn’t mean that I am happy. New Jersey is in a serious deficit, and Gov. Corzine has to make some changes. This changes will generate lots of revenue for the state, and I guess its better to do this than raise taxes. In an article I read online and in the Rutgers University Daily Targum it said that the revenue earned from these increases will be used towards paying bonds sold to finance past construction projects and to pay for more than 8 billion dollars in new work. New work is said to include 3 new lanes on the New Jersey Turnpike between exits 8A and 6. They also want to add an additional lane on the Garden State Parkway in the Toms River area. Their is also talk of a possible discount planned for EZPass drivers. However, after review of the discount proposed on the NJ Turnpike Authority website, it doesn’t really benefit people who have jobs. The only time the discount is offered is during “off peak” hours. Off peak hours are between 6:30 pm-7am and 9 am-4pm. Weekends aren’t even considered off peak. Bastards! They also have a plan to offer discounts to folks who drive “green” cars. With all the changes and increase in 2012 like they propose eventually it will cost us 4.7 cents per mile on the Parkway and 11.5 cents per mile on the Turnpike. Damn tolls…