Route 440 proposal rightfully dismissed

There was really very little to like about the governor's proposal to turn Route 440 into a toll road in order to ease the burden of the state's ever-growing debt.

It seemed absurd to attach a fee to a road that really isn't that long to begin with. It seemed unfair that these tolls would be supported almost entirely by residents of Middlesex County. It seemed dangerous because the surrounding towns would be the ones having to absorb the diversion traffic on side roads from drivers not wanting to pay the toll.

Naturally, the towns along Route 440 raised a ruckus about this, with many local governing bodies condemning the move. Meanwhile, legislators in districts heavily involved with Route 440 also condemned the proposal, with Assemblyman John Wisniewski being particularly vocal.

Eventually, the governor backed off, admitting that he did not care to engage in the protracted political battle that placing a toll on Route 440 would require. Those who stood against this proposal should be proud of themselves - never underestimate the potential of a large, public outcry in getting things done.

Despite the fact that the governor did listen to his constituents and nix the Route 440 toll proposal, there is something that still does not sit right. During a short press conference following his town hall meeting on Feb. 10, he said the revenues generated from placing a toll on that road would only be in the neighborhood of $500 million, which, placed against the massive debts the state has accrued, would be like taking a bucket of water from Lake Superior and calling that drainage. If the governor knew this was the case, why do it in the first place, given all the negative effects?

The answer is that Route 440was some kind of test case to see howpeople would react to placing more tolls on more roads. If the proposal had glided through, there could have been similar proposals on other highways in the state. There is something rather off-putting about Middlesex County being made a guinea pig, especially when the benefits of doing so would have been so small anyway.

Still, one could argue that opponents of the Route 440 proposal stopped tolls not only on their road but also on roads across the state, since the governor has now abandoned the idea of new tolls entirely. For that, those who opposed the toll should be commended.