OCEAN COUNTY – Recent state increases of the gas tax, tolls and transit fares are just too much for residents to handle according to members of the Ocean County Board of Commissioners.
With those increases looming the Commissioners made their position clear that commuters and motorists can’t continue to absorb the burden of higher taxes and fees.
Ocean County Commissioner Frank Sadeghi said, “the increase in the gas tax has not been signed by the governor yet. The gas tax which was 14.5 cents in 2016 and increased to 37 cents a year later will now be increased by the state to 50 cents.”
“I wouldn’t have an objection to this if it came back to Ocean County to repair our roads and bridges but the money is going up north and we are a commuter county,” he added.
The commissioners are sending a resolution to Trenton urging the state to reconsider the increase in the gas tax. They’ve done that in the past, usually having little impact.
Sadeghi noted motorists have also experienced a 3 percent increase in tolls on the Garden State Parkway and a 15 percent fare hike for N.J. Transit riders.
“If they are going to charge us more, this is a great opportunity for us to ask the state for additional money and get some attention for the roads in Ocean County,” Sadeghi added.
Director of the Ocean County Board of Commissioners Barbara Jo Crea said these increases also affect the county’s large senior citizen population, many of whom live on fixed incomes.
She said, “we do not have a large public transit system in Ocean County so our residents need to rely on their cars to get from one place to the other. Having to pay more for gas, for tolls and also transit fares poses a financial burden for many residents that are already living pay check to pay check.”
While the increase in the gas tax is supposed to support the state’s Transportation Trust Fund, the commissioners expressed their collective frustration that money from Ocean County residents often goes to other areas of New Jersey and what is returned here is limited.
Deputy Director Gary Quinn said, “this increase is yet another inflationary item that makes it more difficult for people to afford their monthly bills.”
Ocean County Commissioner John P. Kelly, liaison to the Ocean County Engineering Department and Road Department, remarked the county is always looking at ways to improve its road network and gave the example of efforts to get improvements to Route 9 – a state highway that runs the length of the county – for years.
Kelly added, “more than just Route 9, we talk about all of the roads throughout the county. We also are looking to address flooding problems that have gotten worse since Superstorm Sandy hit the area in October of 2012.”
“We will be developing a county wide plan on this issue. We are working on developing the best answers for this,” added Kelly, who serves as chairman of the North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority.
He noted that the county will be installing 40 new traffic signals. “We have over 600 miles of County roads and more than 250 bridges and culverts that we maintain.”
Kelly said, “it’s one of the largest road networks in the state. It’s imperative we work with the state and do all we can to get our fair share of funding.”
Ocean County Commissioner Virginia E. Haines said the Board does all it can annually to make sure the county appropriates funds to keep its roads safe and well maintained.
“These increases for the gas tax, tolls and transit come from the state of New Jersey. It is making things financially difficult for a lot of people,” she added.
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