New Jersey politicians who previously cried foul over congestion pricing remain eerily silent about PATH fare hikes, which are set to more than double over the next four years.
In fact, many lawmakers from the Garden State made a show of their opposition to MTA's congestion pricing plan last year, with Gov. Phil Murphy, Rep. Josh Gottheimer and Gov.-elect Mikie Sherrill all speaking out against the plan. However, when it comes to the PATH fare hike, which will push fares from $3 to $4 by 2029, these same politicians seem to have lost their voices.
The contrast is striking - while they were quick to decry what they saw as an attack on New Jersey drivers, a far smaller number of riders are affected by the PATH fare hikes. The lack of outcry suggests that car culture remains deeply ingrained in the state, where the convenience and mobility of cars takes precedence over public transportation.
Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop, whose term expires at the end of the year, is an exception to this silence. He initially supported congestion pricing but now says he's on board with the fare hike because it's tied to service improvements. "Those things come at a cost," he said.
Fulop also pointed out that while fares only cover a quarter of the PATH's operating costs, the agency does receive fewer public subsidies than other transit agencies in the country.
However, an organizer with the transit advocacy group A Better PATH said it's no surprise that New Jersey lawmakers are quiet on this issue. "It is a fine example of car centricity," he said. "Added costs to drivers are a news story and added cost to transit users is an afterthought."
In contrast, other officials have spoken out in support of the fare hike, including New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, who urged the Port Authority to keep PATH fares affordable for lower-income riders.
The final vote on the PATH fare hike is still pending, but it's hard to see the measure failing with virtually no opposition from elected officials.
In fact, many lawmakers from the Garden State made a show of their opposition to MTA's congestion pricing plan last year, with Gov. Phil Murphy, Rep. Josh Gottheimer and Gov.-elect Mikie Sherrill all speaking out against the plan. However, when it comes to the PATH fare hike, which will push fares from $3 to $4 by 2029, these same politicians seem to have lost their voices.
The contrast is striking - while they were quick to decry what they saw as an attack on New Jersey drivers, a far smaller number of riders are affected by the PATH fare hikes. The lack of outcry suggests that car culture remains deeply ingrained in the state, where the convenience and mobility of cars takes precedence over public transportation.
Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop, whose term expires at the end of the year, is an exception to this silence. He initially supported congestion pricing but now says he's on board with the fare hike because it's tied to service improvements. "Those things come at a cost," he said.
Fulop also pointed out that while fares only cover a quarter of the PATH's operating costs, the agency does receive fewer public subsidies than other transit agencies in the country.
However, an organizer with the transit advocacy group A Better PATH said it's no surprise that New Jersey lawmakers are quiet on this issue. "It is a fine example of car centricity," he said. "Added costs to drivers are a news story and added cost to transit users is an afterthought."
In contrast, other officials have spoken out in support of the fare hike, including New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, who urged the Port Authority to keep PATH fares affordable for lower-income riders.
The final vote on the PATH fare hike is still pending, but it's hard to see the measure failing with virtually no opposition from elected officials.
This whole thing is super confusing to me! On one hand, I get why they're making the fare hikes happen - public transportation needs some help and it's not like people are just gonna magically start using the PATH more or something... but at the same time, it seems kinda shady that these politicians who were all about hating on congestion pricing are now cool with increasing fares for the PATH riders! 
Like, I get it, they didn't think through it properly or whatever, but still...
But at the same time, if these politicians really care about the environment or something, shouldn't they be pushing for changes that benefit everyone, not just drivers?! 
It's like they think transit users aren't paying attention or something! I'm all for people speaking up when it comes to issues affecting their community, but this is just weird... 
#CarCultureVsPublicTransportation. It seems like they're prioritizing car convenience over public transportation improvements 
. The contrast with their opposition to congestion pricing is wild 
. Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop is at least being real about the costs, but it's clear that lawmakers are more concerned with what affects them directly 
#FareHikes #TransitAdvocacy. It'll be interesting to see how this plays out, especially since there's virtually no opposition from elected officials 
#PATHfarehike
. It seems like they're all about protecting their car-loving constituents' wallets, but what about the people who actually rely on public transportation? The PATH fare hikes are gonna be a disaster for low-income riders and commuters who can't afford to shell out $4/day for just one ticket 
. It's like they forgot that not everyone has a car 
. Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop is trying to make an exception and say it's tied to service improvements, but I'm not buying it 
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. Meanwhile, it's just another example of car culture reppin' hard in NJ 
#PATHfarehikes #carculture #NJpolitics
... but I guess that's just not sinking in with some folks. Meanwhile, it's great to see Gov Hochul speaking out for lower-income riders 
. Maybe we'll get some real change if people from different parts of the state start having these kinds of conversations 
?
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. Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop is one of the few ones speaking up, saying that fares only cover a quarter of the PATH's costs 
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. It's like politicians just can't get their priorities straight 
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. Jersey City Mayor Fulop is the only 1 who's bein reasonable about it 
I mean, they're all over the map on congestion pricing, but PATH fares? Crickets, folks! It's like they think transit users are just invisible or something. Meanwhile, Gov. Hochul is out there pushing for fair fares that won't break the bank for low-income riders - nice touch, Governor! 
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. And Fulop is the only one trying to spin this as a good thing, but let's be real, it's still a huge hit to low-income riders