Guest Column
I want to offer comments regarding the proposals to build a new rail line to serve western Monmouth, Middlesex and Ocean counties, as well as more general transportation issues affecting the state. I believe all three potential rail routes would be too expensive in both capital costs and annual operating expenses relative to the number of likely daily riders.
If one looks at the recently completed and lightly used Secaucus transfer station — which cost $650 million to build — and the light-rail line from Trenton to Camden — which cost $1 billion and has few riders — it is no wonder taxes in New Jersey are so high. Do we really want to spend another $700 million-$900 million to build this rail line, plus $30 million-$45 million in annual operating costs to run it?
I oppose all three alternative routes, but would like to offer some alternative suggestions for improving the transportation system throughout New Jersey.
The single most helpful project — which would require significant federal help because of its cost — would be a second railroad tunnel into New York Penn Station. The one existing tunnel was built in 1910 and is at or near capacity during rush hour. A second tunnel could significantly increase capacity and be built large enough to handle double-decker rail cars.
A second bottleneck could be alleviated by building parking garages near railroad stations in as many towns with parking shortages as will allow these facilities to be built. The permits could be priced high enough to easily cover the operating cost of the garage and make a contribution toward the rest of NJ Transit’s operating budget.
Tolls could be raised on the Garden State Parkway and New Jersey Turnpike and/or the gas tax could be increased to provide a more adequate revenue stream to support a good, well-maintained transportation network.
As technology makes it possible for ever more jobs in our information and service economy to be performed at home — at least some of the time — businesses could make better use of the technology by allowing more work to be done off-site.
If a person with such a job could do it at home even one day every two weeks, that would reduce his or her commuting trips by 10 percent. There is substantial potential to both unclog the roads and save energy — and cost — if the business community embraced this.
As the roads unclog, commuters could be served more efficiently and less expensively with enhanced bus service or they could drive to an existing train station once it increased parking capacity enough to ensure there would be an available space.
A couple of small ideas to improve traffic flow and safety on local roads are:
• Include left-turn signals with traffic lights at intersections with left-turn-only lanes
• Install large overhead street signs at major intersections so people who are not familiar with the area can more easily figure out where they are and be in the correct lane, and
• Install the newer devices at pedestrian crosswalks — especially in larger cities and towns — that count down how many seconds are left to safely cross before the light changes.
Admittedly, none of these small ideas are as glamorous as building a new road or bridge, but they will probably improve traffic flow and maybe even save lives.
Barry Carol is a resident
of Aberdeen Township.