By Donald Wittkowski
Wasting no time in voicing their opposition, Sea Isle City officials Tuesday strongly criticized plans for a toll increase on the five Ocean Drive bridges only a day after the proposal was announced by the agency that operates the spans.
Sea Isle Mayor Leonard Desiderio and at least two members of City Council object to the proposed toll increase, which ranges from 50 cents to $1. They argued it is not needed and would simply be a financial burden on local motorists.
“I don’t see any justification for the increases,” Desiderio said during Tuesday’s Sea Isle Council meeting.
The mayor stressed that he plans to express his opposition when the bridge operator, the Cape May County Bridge Commission, meets on April 27 to formally vote on the proposal. He characterized it as a “significant increase” for travelers in Cape May County.
Sea Isle Councilmen Jack Gibson and John Divney joined with Desiderio in criticizing the higher tolls.
Moving immediately to solidify Sea’s Isle opposition, Council directed its solicitor to draft a resolution denouncing the toll increase. The resolution is expected to be voted on when the five-member Council meets on March 14.
Hoping to recruit other communities to oppose the toll increase, Desiderio urged Council to share the resolution with other towns along the Ocean Drive corridor that would be affected by the proposal.
Divney said Council has an obligation to question the toll hike in its role as the “first line of defense” for local motorists.
“I’m sure we’re going to hear it from everybody,” Divney said, referring to what he expects to be public opposition to higher tolls.
Gibson argued that Sea Isle’s motorists would be hit hard by the toll increase because the town is served by two Cape May County Bridge Commission spans – the Townsends Inlet Bridge to the south heading into Avalon and the Corsons Inlet Bridge to the north connecting Strathmere with Ocean City.
“Sea Isle is particularly sensitive to the Ocean Drive toll system and bridges,” Gibson said. “We depend on them more than most other municipalities because they are at both ends of our town.”
There is currently a one-way toll of $1.50 on the spans operated by the Cape May County Bridge Commission. They include the Middle Thorofare Bridge, Grassy Sound Bridge, Townsends Inlet Bridge, Corsons Inlet Bridge and Ocean City-Longport Bridge.
On Monday, the bridge commission announced plans to raise tolls for the first time since 2009. The toll hike is part of plans to install the automated E-ZPass fare-collection system on all five spans by June 1.
“Once the E-ZPass system is installed, more vehicles will be able to pass over the bridges, faster and more efficiently when traveling from Ocean City to Cape May,” Patrick Rosenello, chairman of the Cape May County Bridge Commission, said in a statement.
To help pay for the conversion to E-ZPass, the bridge commission has proposed seasonal tolling fees to coincide with the county’s peak summer tourism season, so that year-round residents do not carry the burden of the increase.
Under the plan, there would be a $1 toll increase in effect from the Monday before Memorial Day to the Tuesday after Columbus Day. A 50-cent toll increase would occur during the off-season.
In addition to funding the installation of E-ZPass, the toll increase would provide revenue to help balance the bridge commission’s budget, establish a bridge maintenance plan and build long-term capital improvements.
“Our bridges are getting this makeover because the current systems are 10 years old and in need of an upgrade,” said Karen Coughlin, the commission’s executive director. “With the price of electronics down, these new additions create a win-win situation. We anticipate an increase in people using the bridges and paying tolls, adding to the revenue which will support our efforts to improve the overall condition of the bridges.”
Motorists crossing over the spans operated by the Cape May County Bridge Commission currently must pay their fares the old-fashioned way – by coming to a complete stop and handing over the money to a toll collector.
The commission’s plan to install the E-ZPass network would make the bridges compatible with major highways serving the Jersey Shore. E-ZPass, which allows motorists to pay electronically while breezing through a toll plaza, has been in use for years on the Garden State Parkway and the Atlantic City Expressway.
“Our goal in bringing E-ZPass to our Ocean Drive bridges is to ensure that all residents and visitors experience higher levels of efficiency, convenience, and safety while traveling,” Rosenello said.
Criticizing the proposal to install E-ZPass, Gibson asserted it is more important to keep human toll collectors on the bridges to operate them instead of having an automated fare-collection system.
“In our case, we need those toll takers to operate those bridges,” he said.
The bridge commission said there will be no reductions in full-time staff related to the implementation of E-ZPass. However, the agency added there is the potential for nominal reductions in part-time, seasonal staff based on how well E-ZPass performs and its ability to improve traffic flow.
