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Health & Fitness

It's About Time: Removing Parkway Tolls in Your Home County

By Jimmy Esposito, Candidate for  30th District General Assembly

www.jimmyesposito.com

The State of New Jersey is comprised of 21 beautiful counties, each unique with its own personality and terrain; each rich in its own history and culture. And while we all share a broader geographic bond as New Jerseyans, some counties have significant economic advantages over others.

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Case in point: While residents in most counties in New Jersey enjoy the convenience of no-charge thruways – many of which are used as local roads – residents in other counties are forced to pay a surcharge for the same convenience.

If you live in Monmouth or Ocean, for example, you likely pay an additional tax simply for using a thruway (the Garden State Parkway) that happens to run through your county. When you look at the numbers, it is clear that residents in counties along the Parkway route pay a disproportionate amount of the tolls collected in the state.

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If you are a resident of Monmouth or Ocean, ask yourself how much money you spend every year in Parkway tolls within your own county. And then ask yourself if you have ever veered away from the Parkway in your county just to avoid the extra toll. Not only is the Parkway tax costly to Monmouth and Ocean County residents, but it also causes traffic congestion on our local roads.

It is easy for some to dismiss the extra dollar here or there, but cumulatively, this likely adds up to hundreds of dollars every year for each driver in your family. This is an unacceptable burden to impose on some residents, considering that residents in other parts of the state enjoy toll-free driving within their home counties.

John Bendel, the charismatic candidate for Senate in the 10th District in Ocean County, eloquently presented the case for rolling back tolls for Ocean County residents in his article here:

http://bendelforsenate.com/releases/App05-26.htm

John’s solution is to roll back Parkway tolls for all residents of Ocean County. While I agree with his assessment of the unfairness of Parkway tolls, my solution leads down a slightly different road: Let’s ban all Parkway tolls for New Jersey residents within their home counties. This will enable drivers to use the Parkway as a local road and alleviate traffic congestion. The technology is available through EZPass to accomplish this without adding an administrative burden to the state.

As your Assemblyman, I will champion legislation to restore fairness to the toll system in New Jersey. A vote for Jimmy is a vote to end the practice of Monmouth and Ocean County residents paying a disproportionate amount of tolls in this state. 

www.jimmyesposito.com

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