Transportation Funding

The billions needed to upgrade New Jersey’s infrastructure will climb even higher in wake of Hurricane Sandy.

During National Walk and Bike to School month, we look at some compelling reasons to make it easier for schoolchildren to walk or bike to school – most notably increased physical activity and reduced traffic. The new federal transportation legislation includes funding for cycling and walking programs and infrastructure, but also enough flexibility that those funds might get diverted for other uses. We urge the New Jersey state DOT to keep bicycle and pedestrian funding, and we encourage the development of more communities where housing and schools are within walking distance of each other.

It is critical to New Jersey’s prosperity to maintain a safe and reliable transportation system, and the state must find stable, sustainable funding for it from sources other than debt.

The cancellation of the ARC Tunnel does not mean the purchase of dual-mode locomotives is now unnecessary. These locomotives can still provide one-seat rides to many commuters.

New data show that more New Jersey commuters are relying on transit to get to work, and that, even with the decentralization of employment, there has been no increase in the percentage of solo drivers.

New Jersey has 243 transit facilities, ranging from small single-track stations to major multi-line hubs. The unique characteristics of each station, of its immediate neighborhood, and of its surrounding municipality mean that a wide variety of development strategies should be brought to bear in order to maximize each location’s potential. This report shows how data assembled by New Jersey Future can be used to make decisions on how to target various kinds of transit-oriented development efforts. September 2012.

An assessment of how comprehensively New Jersey’s Department of Transportation has implemented its Complete Streets Policy. September 2011.

June 29, 2012 — In response to the announcement of a conference committee deal to authorize the federal transportation program through September 2014, transportation advocates expressed disappointment at the bill’s lack of reforms and at provisions that would make it harder for communities in New Jersey to provide input on major projects and improve street safety

Sept. 25, 2010 — Given the transportation needs of the region, and the physical constraints within which this tunnel must be built, the choice is not between the ARC project and some perfectly crafted alternative, it is between this project and no project — and that is really no choice at all.

Jan. 6, 2011 — New Jersey’s transportation trust fund should be funded from a stable and sustainable source, and the governor’s proposal represents an opportunity to focus on outcomes and to evaluate how the state funds its entire transportation system.