As recently as yesterday Governor Corzine has claimed that
the public will come first in any Turnpike deal, that New Jerseyans will not
lose out the way citizens of Indiana and Chicago did. But vague statements just aren’t enough to
make New Jerseyans feel safe. At least
15 towns and three counties have shown their distrust and concern by passing
resolutions opposing the sale or lease of the Turnpike.
“Our toll roads are so central to people’s lives that using
them as a piggy bank and changing the way they are run is very threatening,”
said Abigail Caplovitz Field, Advocate for the New Jersey Public Interest
Research Group (NJPIRG). “If the
Governor wants New Jerseyans to support his ‘monetization’ effort, he’s going
to have to make strong, concrete commitments to protect the public. We call on him to take our public interest
pledge.”
Bergen, Hudson
and Ocean Counties,
plus Bloomfield, Chatham Borough, Chatham Township,
Edison, Egg Harbor
Township, Elizabeth,
Kenilworth, Millburn, North Brunswick, Oceans Gate, Sayreville, South
Brunswick, Springfield, Toms
River and Woodbridge have all passed resolutions
opposing the sale or lease of the Turnpike.
Representatives from Bergen, Edison,
Millburn, Sayreville and Woodbridge
spoke at the event and discussed their concerns.
“These towns are all located near the Turnpike or Parkway
and will be among the first to feel the impacts of ‘monetization’” noted
Field. “These communities reflect a
broad swath of New Jersey,
spanning seven counties and ranging from central cities to small towns. Their concerns are the concerns of every day
New Jerseyans. People are very worried
about what ‘monetization’ will mean, and the Governor’s vague statements aren’t
enough to reassure anyone.”
Based on deals elsewhere, NJPIRG has identified basic
principles that any deal must reflect to have a chance of being in the public
interest. New Jersey must retain real control over
transportation and toll policy, get fair value for its roads, avoid generations-long,
high-risk deals, keep its state-of-the-art safety and maintenance standards,
and embrace transparency and accountability in the deal making and road
management. NJPIRG has called on the
Governor to take a pledge committing to these principles, but to date he has
refused.
“If the Governor is serious about putting the public first,
he should make concrete commitments,” said Field. “Before he sells the turnpike to any company,
he has to sell the idea to New Jerseyans.
And as the growing local concern shows, he’s going to have to be one
heck of a salesman.”
