The New York Times
December 29, 2007
By Ken Belson
Commuters who travel across the Hudson River will soon learn whether they will need to dig deeper into their pockets in 2008.
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey will vote on a proposal to raise tolls and fares at its next board meeting, on Friday. The increases would be the first since 2001 and would come after a public comment period that lasted two months.
Many transportation advocates support the agency’s plan to raise tolls by as much as 33 percent at the Lincoln and Holland Tunnels, the George Washington Bridge and the three spans that connect New Jersey and Staten Island.
Fares on PATH trains would also increase. Several elected officials in New Jersey, as well as some rail advocates, oppose that measure, saying the Port Authority should do more to encourage people to use mass transit.
The Port Authority expects the increases to raise an additional $300 million a year, which it expects to use for security, upgrades to the PATH trains and the building of a new rail tunnel to Pennsylvania Station.
“It’s never easy to ask people to pay more, but we think that with a $30 billion capital investment program that improves security, keeps our crossings in good repair and finally builds the projects this region has been putting off for a generation, that our customers will get a lot for their money,” said Stephen Sigmund, an agency spokesman.
Under the proposal, drivers paying cash will be charged $8, instead of the $6 they pay now, to use the Port Authority’s bridges and tunnels. Drivers using E-ZPass during peak hours will lose their current $1 discount and will also pay $8. Those using E-ZPass during off-peak hours will pay $6. Peak hours are 6 to 9 a.m. and 4 to 7 p.m. on weekdays and noon to 8 p.m. on weekends.
Riders who use cash on the PATH trains could pay $2, up from $1.50 now.
The Port Authority is one of several transit agencies that plan to increase tolls and fares next year. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority will raise fares on its bridges and tunnels in New York City, and while the base fare on city subways and buses will remain $2, MetroCard users will pay more for multiride tickets and see their discounts shrink. Riders on Metro-North Railroad and the Long Island Rail Road will also pay more.
The authority said in November that it would not raise fares as much as initially anticipated.
Mr. Sigmund did not rule out the possibility that the Port Authority, which had record numbers of public hearings and comments on the proposal, could scale back its plans.
Transportation experts said that the bistate agency was more immune to political pressure than the transportation authority and so was less likely to dilute its proposed increases.
“The Port Authority has made a strong case for the increases, and a number of construction and environmental groups have supported it,” said Kate Slevin, the executive director of the Tri-State Transportation Campaign, a nonprofit transit advocacy group. “And if you look at how much riders on the PATH contribute to the cost of the service, it’s lower than the riders on the M.T.A.”
If approved by the Port Authority’s board, the increases will begin in March or April.