(The following story by Larry Higgs appeared on the Asbury Park Press website on August 6, 2009.)
ASBURY PARK, N.J. — New Jersey’s suburban counties, which had the biggest population and job growth, lack the mass transit to move those people even though the miles traveled by people on transit statewide doubled compared with miles traveled by car in a 10-year-period starting in 1997, a transit advocacy group found.
The “State of Transportation — 2009” report released Wednesday by the Tri-State Transportation Campaign found that “some of the counties experiencing the fastest population and employment growth in the state, such as Somerset, Ocean and Warren, have the least transit service.”
The report — which analyzed data from numerous sources, including the state — said the findings make the case for officials to find new revenue sources for the state Transportation Trust Fund, which could run out cash to do any projects in 2010.
It also said the average age of the state’s roads and bridges is about 50 years and, despite stepped up “fix it” efforts by the state, the condition of infrastructure is deteriorating.
The report showed that Ocean County saw the largest population growth in the state between 1997 and 2007, followed by Somerset and Gloucester counties.
More people in suburban or rural counties took to the road, with Ocean County having the largest increase in vehicle miles traveled in the state with a 44 percent jump between 1999 and 2007, data used for the report said.
Vehicle miles traveled increased 22 percent in Monmouth County, 28 percent in Hunterdon, 20 percent in Somerset and 16 percent in Morris during the 1999-2007 period.
Even more developed suburban counties, such as Middlesex, saw a 16 percent increase in miles driven, according to Tri-State statistics, which came from state Department of Transportation figures.
However, growth in driving slowed considerably in the most recent year, increasing only 0.6 percent from 2006 to 2007, a number expected to decline by at least 3 percent from 2007 to 2008.
“Our data only goes through 2007, when the recession was just beginning,” said Zoe Baldwin, Tri-State New Jersey coordinator. “Also, preliminary 2008 figures show dramatic declines in driving along the toll roads.”
The report acknowledged trends resulting from the recession and gasoline prices causing people to drive less.
“Their study goes to 2007. Clearly, when you talk about residential movement and real estate trends and travel related to commuting, some changes have taken place since 2007,” said Erin Phalon, state DOT spokeswoman, adding that the state didn’t take issue with Tri-State’s data.
Mass transit use up
The report’s transit figures also reflect an increase in mass transit ridership particularly on NJ Transit, which saw record-breaking increases but which has started to level off this year. The report found that NJ Transit commuter services expanded by 40 percent since 1997.
“The proportionately higher increase in transit miles traveled shows that with improved and expanded service, people opt to take transit over driving,” Baldwin said.
However, the study noted the issue of transit availability for people who live in suburban towns and drive to jobs in suburban workplaces. It said people now live farther from where they work. The report said that much of the employment growth in the decade studied occurred in historically rural counties — among them Ocean County, which added more than 27,000 new jobs.
The population growth and resulting traffic congestion have led Ocean County officials to lobby the state for more mass transit for residents who now depend on the congested Garden State Parkway or Route 9.
The condition of roads and bridges is declining, although the study did find some improvements, the report said.
“Eighty-two percent of New Jersey’s major roadway lane miles were rated in less than good condition in 2007. New Jersey’s roads rank third-worst in the country. Still, this represents an improvement from 1997,” the report said.
DOT officials said the agency doubled its spending on pavement preservation and allocated more funds to repave highways in fiscal years 2008 and 2009 to prevent more costly reconstruction work, Phalon said.
The annual investment in bridge work increased to more than $600 million, up from $400 million in fiscal year 2006. DOT officials plan to rehabilitate 75 structurally deficient bridges during the next two years, an increase in the number spans improved by the DOT for the same time period.
“I applaud Tri-State for highlighting the condition and needs of our transportation system,” Phalon said in a e-mail. “The state’s roads, bridges and mass transit are critical to our quality of life and economic vitality.”
She said that officials continue to monitor the Transportation Trust Fund and that it remains solvent.
Tri-State officials said they intend to update the report every two years.