Having won the inclusion of performance objectives and accountability-in-spending amendments in the NJ Trust Fund Renewal Law in 2000 against some staunch opposition in the Legislature, and having just prevailed in a lawsuit (see MTR #420) to enforce those provisions against NJ DOT’s refusal since 2000 to abide those provisions, transportation reformers like the Tri-State Transportation Campaign are well-positioned to win further advances in the Trust Fund law renewal in 2004.

The ramifications of the court victory are important. The public and the Legislature can demand of executive branch departments like NJDOT strategic planning and reporting on how they spend funds allocated to them. It could represent a big step in reining in departments that have ruled their domains as they’ve seen fit for some time.

On Trust Fund renewal, NJ’s government and construction interests face a tough problem. The Trust Fund is about to run dry — again. Governor McGreevey recently appointed a blue ribbon commission of ex-commissioner types to figure out how to re-float it. They are quietly putting together what they hope will be a persuasive analysis about NJ’s transportation capital and operational needs. They won’t talk about the revenue side of the equation until after this fall’s legislative elections — most likely, they will back an increase in the state’s 10.5-cent per gallon gas tax.

But to increase taxes, the established players will need the support of the transportation reform community, and the court’s findings will reinforce this role. Especially in light of the governor’s anti-sprawl efforts, NJ leaders will need to demonstrate that they are spending on transportation responsibly, that their projects are green and not subsidizing sprawl, and that "fixing it first" and transit, rail freight and traffic calming are institutional priorities, not just a grab bag of peripheral projects.

Substantively, reformers are likely to press for ironclad dedication of new revenue, and its allocation to increases in spending on transit capital, cycling and pedestrian projects, rail freight, highway and bridge repair and more Local Aid for counties and municipalities. 

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