THE STATE WE’RE IN by Michele S. Byers
"So, you’re from New Jersey? What exit?"
If we had a dollar for every time a New Jerseyan was subjected to this charming little quip, the race to preserve our open space would be over. We could simply buy all our remaining open space, with change left over.
In reality, open space preservation is related to transportation, because development won’t happen without a way for people to get to and from their homes or jobs. Good transportation policy uses smart growth principals to maintain existing highways and rail lines, easing the commute to and from already developed areas. Bad policy adds new highways to undeveloped areas, literally paving the way for sprawl.
This November, a single question on the ballot gives New Jersey voters an opportunity to have a direct impact on the relationship between transportation, open space and quality of life. Ballot Question No. 1 asks voters to amend the state constitution, to direct all gas tax revenue and some sales tax revenue to the Transportation Trust Fund. This will impact our remaining farms, forests and open spaces.
The Transportation Trust Fund was established in 1984, in response to the constant need for funds to maintain and upgrade New Jersey’s highways, ports, rail lines and other transportation infrastructure. Part of the revenue from the state’s gas tax went into the fund, dedicated to a host of projects around the state. In many cases, Trust Fund money was used effectively to leverage federal transportation dollars.
However, anyone stuck in traffic on a major highway, slamming into springtime potholes, or hitting his head on the car ceiling while bouncing over a bridge expansion joint, can attest to the continued need to maintain our roads and bridges.
When the state Legislature reauthorized the Trust Fund earlier this year, it included some strong ties between transportation spending and smart growth. For example, the N.J. Transportation Department (DOT) would not be allowed to spend money on new highways without an act of the state Legislature, while existing state highways could be extended, widened or improved without this approval.
This is an encouraging step because it uses spending controls to address traffic congestion. In the past, New Jersey simply added pavement. Traffic then increased to fill the additional capacity. So, more lanes were added, and traffic again increased to fill the "vacuum."
Under the new plan, the DOT will have to submit a five-year plan, with goals, targets and performance measurements for reducing automobile and pedestrian crashes, building 1,000 miles of bike paths and reducing by half the backlog of repair projects on structurally deficient bridges and highways. In addition, by 2007, NJ Transit will have to buy buses that reduce emissions or run on alternative, cleaner fuels.
It may be said that transportation issues are more important here than in many other states. New Jersey is the most densely populated state. In addition, most of the goods entering the United States through ports in New York and New Jersey move through our state on their way to their final destinations. The result? More people, homes, businesses, cars and trucks in less space than other states, severely straining our highways, roads and rail lines.
The Transportation Trust Fund will help fund mass transit, road and bridge repairs, and all the other kinds of transportation projects that have a tangible impact on our commerce and quality of life. At the same time, prudence dictates that we use the money in the fund wisely – following the mantra of "fix it first" to improve the roads we’re using, not build new ones; to save our existing rail lines, not lose them; and to preserve open space, not pave it.
For more information on ballot question No. 1, or open space preservation in New Jersey, please contact me at 1-888-LAND-SAVE or by e-mail to [email protected].
Michele S. Byers is executive director of the New Jersey Conservation Foundation based in Far Hills.