An additional 80¢ per gallon tax to ride the Parkway?
Can that be right?
Yup, that's right - a "toll tax" is several times higher than a gas tax. If you don't believe that, just look at how much money toll bring in - toll revenue generated from NJ's 400 miles of toll roads exceeds the state gas tax revenue generated on NJ's 35,000 of free roads. Why should so few pay so much for the exact same service? Talk about unfair!
Toll advocates make riding the Parkway sound cheap - "only 2.2¢ per mile". But that number is deceiving in several ways. First, 2.2¢/mi. is NOT cheap. In a car getting 25 mpg on the highway, that's an additional 55¢ for every gallon of gas used. And most people cry about a 5¢ per gallon gas tax hike!
Second, the 2.2¢/mi. isn't even an accurate average. It's based on driving the entire length of the Parkway (eleven 35¢ toll plazas over 172 miles), but how many people do that? It does NOT include over 20 entrance and exit ramp tollbooths, nor does it count the $1 per month E-ZPass surcharge. The bottom line is everyone pays more than 2.2¢/mi. to ride the Parkway (...except maybe politicians and toll collectors).
How much more? According to NJTOLLS.com (Oct. 2003), the average trip on the Parkway is about 3.2¢ per mile. So, using that number, and a vehicle getting 25 mpg on the highway, your paying 80¢ per gallon in toll taxes:
3.2¢ / mile x 25 miles / gallon = 80¢ / gallon
If you're driving a gas guzzler getting only 15 mpg on the highway, it's a little lower - 48¢ per gallon. And if you're driving an economy car getting 35 mpg on the highway, it's more like $1.12 per gallon. And don't forget, those numbers are in addition to the 10.5¢/gal. state gas tax and 18.4¢/gal. federal gas tax being paid by all Parkway users.
And that could even be higher if you drive the Parkway in North Jersey, where the toll plazas are much closer together. For example, drivers hit three toll plazas in 20 miles (Union, Essex, and Bergen) between exits 141 to 161. That's over 5¢ per mile in toll taxes, or the equivalent of an additional $1.25 per gallon in taxes (at 25 mpg).
Why does it cost so much to ride the Parkway?
Note the red arrows on the diagram at the top of the page. First, millions of dollars in gas tax is taken from Parkway drivers and used on other roads. Second, much of the toll itself is wasted simply on collecting it (see Toll Costs page) - billions of dollars so far ($750 million for E-ZPass alone).
How much is too much?
Some people who don't use the Parkway scream bloody murder when we suggest raising the gas tax 3¢/gal. to remove tolls. They cry "Why do I have to pay for a road I don't use"? They think it's fair that Parkway drivers have to pay an extra 80¢/gal. for the same service they get toll-free (...plus another 29¢ in gas taxes for use on toll-free roads).
My wish for these people? That we treat them the same as Parkway drivers. Let's add tolls to THEIR roads so they can pay a measly "2.2¢ per mile". That way Parkway drivers won't be paying for roads THEY don't use.
We are NOT asking for someone else's taxes to pay for the Parkway.
We only want a fair share of Parkway users taxes.
