Posted on 4/8/2002, 1:01:27 AM by Coleus
Lots of news to report! First, Washington, DC based nomoretolls.org (Kevin McKeown) has filed a case in lower federal courts on the basis that toll booths violate the clean air act while operators of toll booths violate the civil rights of toll payers by requiring an unnecessary increase in the period of time a toxic emitting vehicle is needlessly operated resulting in increased pollution.
The case had now reached the U.S.Supreme Court where it has been assigned Docket No. 01-1421!. Citizens Against Tolls plans to file an Amicus Curiae (Friend of Court) brief in support of this case. The brief asks for an immediate end to tolls to eliminate the serious and alarming air hazard to motorists, toll collectors and residents in the surrounding areas.
The brief can be seen by accessing supremecourtUS.Gov , clicking on Docket and entering 01-1421
In addition, two professors from The College of Staten Island and Kutztown University have prepared a paper which indicates that 22,000 tons of pollutants are emitted at only the 11 Parkway toll plazas which exceeds by far the allowable EPA Standards. The study indicates that E-ZPass will do little to reduce these emissions. In addition it has been found that The Parkway has exceeded ozone standards in 10 of the last 11 years! They also plan to file an Amicus Curiae brief.
Further discussions will soon be underway with the American Lung Association who is vitally interested in this effort and may also file a brief.
Other news - Members of CAT's core group met with Assemblymen Carroll and Merkt in Morristown on April 3 and with Assemblymen Sarlo and Johnson in Wood-Ridge on April 5 and gave them a presentation on the elimination of tolls. They were surprised at some of the costs and problems associated with toll collecting and especially with the E-ZPass debt that continues to build!
Your core group personally absorbs the costs of these visits and does not use any of CAT's lean funds. The cost of filing the above mentioned brief will be about $400 in addition to our current State Income tax bill of $240. (Federal tax is $0!). To help with these expenses we appeal to you for help. If each member on our address list were to contribute $20 we would have enough funds to cover many of the expenses that we have. This is your chance to make a difference if you want to get rid of tolls! To those of you who answered our recent appeal - thanks you very much for your help!
Contributions should be sent to CAT, P.O.Box 497, Manasquan, NJ, 08736. Our books are open to anyone who would like to see where the money goes!
For those of you who like more details, the 22,000 tons of emittants are as follows: 15,000 tons of carbon Monoxide, 408 tons of hydrocarbons and 300 tons of nitrous oxide!
We appeal to you for HELP! Ray Neveil for your core group
There is no need for tolls in NJ or elsewhere. Toll roads are unsafe and cause many accidents and deaths, there was just one on the NJ Turnpike last week. We lose millions of federal aid every year. Let's end tolls once and for all in NJ and and the rest of the country.
I misread this one coming in - and sure, nobody likes Trolls.
As for the inconvenience of the toll, I minimized that by getting an EZ-Pass for my car. It's great, especially with all the toll roads in the Buffalo area.
In NJ where patronage, kickbacks and Mafia-like thinking goes on, the assemblymen and State Senators use the Parkway Authority as a patronage and job mill, which now costs over $100 million a year to run. And dole out road-repair contracts to the union bosses and contributors.
Traffic is unbearable, during rush hour and all weekend long while trying to get to the shore. The Parkway was built so that the residents could go down the shore quickly, well it is not quick.
In the article listed above, you see how much pollution is created by the stop-and-go traffic at each toll plaza. We lose hours and days of our lives waiting in line at tolls while commuting to work every day.
Many deaths have been attributed to the toll plazas as happened in the state of CT, which took down their tollbooths because of so many deaths. People switching lanes, looking for change, etc..there are many causes. The parkway and turnpike authorities have the power to bond thus taking away the power of the people. Even the legislature has no control over the bonding issues since it's an independent authority.
The parkway built a palatial office building with marble floors and expensive artwork. In addition, an arts center was built in the middle of nowhere, without voter approval, and where you have to pay tolls to get there. Why a toll authority is in the concert business is beyond me, only in New Jersey I guess.
Tolls are no good for New Jersey Residents.
I wonder if NJ can account for where the money from tolls go. I recall a study on the bridges and tunnels into NYC a few years ago, where the Authority could only account for about ten cents on the dollar that was being taken in.
The parkway accounts for only 3% of all roads in NJ, I don't think 3% of more roads will cost much more. Your comment sounds like one a democrat would make.
And therein lies the highest hurdle we have to face. I'm surprised to find comments on this thread saying tolls are okay because the users of the roads should pay and EZ pass is a good idea. EZ Pass has been a nightmare in NJ and is ready to crumble under it's own weight.
Thanks for the ping, Coleus.
Huh? I said the NY Bridge and Tunnels Authority (or whatever it's called) was a corrupt organization that causes 90% of the take to disappear. What exactly are you looking at?
Your words, read 'em.
In the trucking game you pay for every mile through a quarterly statement declaring the amount of miles traveled in each state. Toll roads, being as such, collect your road use tax as you use the road and these miles are not double taxed then on your quarterly statement. When cars purchase gas, state road use tax is part of the per gallon price. The proper thing then would be not to tax the fuel that is burned using a toll road. But don't hold your breath.
As to maintenance, that money can come out the same funds that fix the potholes on Routes 80, 287, 280, 78, etc. The money comes from gasoline taxes, so those using the roads pay for them.
The NJ tolls increase aggravation, accidents and air pollution, strictly so the unions and the corrupt politicians of both parties can fatten their bank accounts.
But as far where the money comes from is a big concern.
Dead mentioned ROUTES, well there are state routes, city routes, and federal routes, there are also INTERSTATES (limited access) which is not to be confused with routes(open access), state or fed.
Gas tax is how the roads are paid for and maintained. Toll roads do not receive any of that gas tax. But if you care to increase your gas taxes and eliminate toll booths, well, this is still the USA. Your State, City and local municipality have that option. I am NOT a fan of toll booths, but I am a fan of paying for what you use. And while my federal gas taxes are used throughout the nation to maintain INTERSTATE highways and Federal routes, as well as local city streets including sidewalks and curbing and illumination, I don't think I care to support the NJ Turnpike (which I do already because it is designated an Interstate Hwy, 95) or that you should support the Florida Turnpike (Not designated an Interstate hwy). They have tolls to do that and it works, also for each bridge and tunnel with an Interstate assigned number.
And concerning congestion at the toll booth, maybe NJ has too many drivers and not enough room, they are the most populace state per square mile of land compared to the other 49.
The Garden State Parkway, for example has some toll booths within 2 miles of each other - occassionally the line for one set of booths backs up through the other.
Yes, the number of cars going through and sitting idling DO have a pollutant effect though yes, the attack is likely merely a tactic for being rid of the things. In NY, one set of toll gates on 87 that I'm aware of produced sufficient pollution that one could tell when one was driving past it on parallel roads more than a mile away. The air quality in the area improved quite significantly when the toll gate was removed.
As for the Federal payments: part of what they're talking about is the withheld funds because of pollution levels. No, I don't think you should be paying for roads outside your state, except to the extent of the Interstate Highway is kept up, bt what you're talking about in funds is largely the Federal government giving back the funds collected within the state, for the state - a proccess of collection and blackmail that I find repugnant.
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