NJ lawmakers who loudly condemned congestion pricing remain eerily quiet on PATH fare hikes, sparking accusations that car culture's dominance in the Garden State has muffled dissent among politicians. The recent Port Authority announcement of a $1 fare hike over four years, from $3 to $4, sent shockwaves through commuters, but surprisingly, few New Jersey officials spoke out against it.
In contrast to their vocal opposition to congestion pricing last year, Governor Phil Murphy and Rep. Josh Gottheimer's office remained silent on the PATH fare increase. The silence is striking, given that several lawmakers who opposed MTA's congestion pricing plan last year - including Murphy and Gottheimer - are now seemingly unwilling to speak out against a similar increase in PATH fares.
Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop, whose term is set to expire this year, did weigh in on the issue. He acknowledged that increased costs come with service improvements but argued that lawmakers should be "realistic" about these trade-offs.
Transit advocates argue that the lack of outcry from New Jersey officials stems from a culture prioritizing car-centric policies over those benefiting public transportation users. The Port Authority maintains that fares only cover a quarter of PATH's operating costs, highlighting the need for increased subsidies to keep services affordable.
Notably, Governor Kathy Hochul supported the fare increase, emphasizing the importance of keeping PATH fares "affordable" and ensuring reliable service for all riders. Her office suggests that the Port Authority should prioritize making public transportation more accessible, particularly for low-income commuters.
While the Port Authority board still needs to vote on the fare hike, it appears increasingly likely to pass with minimal pushback from elected officials.
In contrast to their vocal opposition to congestion pricing last year, Governor Phil Murphy and Rep. Josh Gottheimer's office remained silent on the PATH fare increase. The silence is striking, given that several lawmakers who opposed MTA's congestion pricing plan last year - including Murphy and Gottheimer - are now seemingly unwilling to speak out against a similar increase in PATH fares.
Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop, whose term is set to expire this year, did weigh in on the issue. He acknowledged that increased costs come with service improvements but argued that lawmakers should be "realistic" about these trade-offs.
Transit advocates argue that the lack of outcry from New Jersey officials stems from a culture prioritizing car-centric policies over those benefiting public transportation users. The Port Authority maintains that fares only cover a quarter of PATH's operating costs, highlighting the need for increased subsidies to keep services affordable.
Notably, Governor Kathy Hochul supported the fare increase, emphasizing the importance of keeping PATH fares "affordable" and ensuring reliable service for all riders. Her office suggests that the Port Authority should prioritize making public transportation more accessible, particularly for low-income commuters.
While the Port Authority board still needs to vote on the fare hike, it appears increasingly likely to pass with minimal pushback from elected officials.
I get that it's gonna cost more, but what about all the ppl who R DEPENDING ON PUBLIC TRANS, like low-income fams or students?!?! How can they just sit back and watch prices go up while services improve? 
I'm all for improving the PATH, but not at the expense of those who need it most! 
What changed? Is it just that they don't wanna ruffle any more feathers with car owners or is there something else going on?!?!
Let's get the word out and make some noise about this fare hike! 
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. It just goes to show that if you're part of the car culture crowd, your voice gets a lot quieter when it comes to issues affecting public transportation users 
. I get where Steven Fulop is coming from with the whole trade-offs thing, but it's not like we didn't see this one coming 
. And yeah, it's no surprise that Governor Hochul is on board with keeping PATH fares affordable... politicians always look out for their own interests, right? 
they're always talking trash about congestion pricing but now that it's their turn in the hot seat... crickets! it's like they've got car culture's money on the table and aren't about to rock the boat 
especially when it comes to public transportation. I mean, what happened to the whole 'we're looking out for the people' thing? Congestion pricing was one thing, but PATH fare hikes seem like a total cop-out. And don't even get me started on how this is going to affect low-income families 
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. It's like they're trying to avoid talking about it or something. The thing is, if they want to be all about public transportation, they should be speaking out against this fare hike too 
. The Port Authority is saying fares only cover 25% of their costs, so where's the beef? 
The fact that Governor Murphy and Rep. Gottheimer didn't speak up on this issue is really puzzling. Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop at least acknowledged the trade-offs, but where was the rest of them? 
. I mean, they were vocal about how much they hated the idea of congestion pricing, but when it comes to increasing fares, suddenly nobody wants to talk about it 
. There are definitely benefits to increased fares if they go towards improving services... but at what cost? 
. And honestly, I think its a bit rich for them to be all about "public transportation" and then still supporting fare hikes that'll hurt low-income commuters 
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. It's almost as if they've been desensitized to the consequences of their own vehicular-centric policies 
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, who often bear the brunt of increased costs 
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. And Governor Kathy Hochul seems to get it, btw 
. Maybe it's time for some change in the Garden State 