In response to a lawsuit filed last month, lawyers for New Jersey have informed the Campaign and environmental, taxpayer, and cycling co-plaintiff groups they will be removed from eight advisory groups during the litigation.

NJ DOT wants to bar the Campaign and allies from:

The Route 1 Collaborative, the Sustainable Transportation Advisory Group, Design Flexibility Study, Congestion Buster Task Force, Central Jersey Transportation Forum, NJ Bike Advisory Council, Pedestrian Task Force and the Penn’s Neck Area EIS Partner’s Roundtable.

The Campaign in fact suggested the Route 1 collaborative to DOT in 1994, and Campaign advocacy led to the formation of several of the others. None of the committees were formed to discuss issues related to the pending lawsuit.

New Jersey’s letter warned that, “members of plaintiff organizations will not be allowed direct contact with any official or employee of the Dept. of Transportation. Any contact, even for matters ostensibly unrelated to the...litigation, shall be solely through legal counsel.”

The Campaign’s attorneys replied in writing, telling the state it has no legal authority to issue such edicts. The reply letter says the state’s actions “significantly infringe constitutional liberties so plain as to warrant only cursory mention here, i.e., the First Amendment and associational rights of individuals.” The letter warned that plaintiffs will turn to the courts if the state attempts to enforce their unlawful order.

The Campaign’s lawsuit argues that the Department of Transportation is violating spending mandates for road and bridge repair and construction of cycle ways in the 2000 Transportation Trust Fund Reauthorization Act (MTR #320).

Read about the Campaign's role in founding the Route 1 Collaborative.

Groups Sue New Jersey to Enforce Transportation Law - June 4, 2001

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