The Commission strongly called for new revenue to be constitutionally dedicated to the Transportation Trust Fund Authority for capital projects, ending divisions that have imperiled the solvency of the Trust Fund. The Commission stressed that a gas tax increase would be a fair user fee paid by those who use our roads, both New Jersey residents and out of state motorists.

In proposing that dedicated new revenues fund a $3.1 billion annual capital budget for the NJDOT and NJ Transit, the Commission did not neglect local needs, asserting: "Local aid to counties and municipalities will increase by $150 million, providing funds to repair roads, build sidewalks and make intersections safer and less congested."

The Commission report was shelved by former Governor James McGreevey, but was given new life by the recent State Transportation Conference sponsored by the New Jersey Alliance for Action, which attracted nearly 1,000 transportation advocates from both the public and private sectors.

The New Jersey State League of Municipalities has been out front from the beginning on this critical issue, as was highlighted in strong testimony before the Blue Ribbon Commission by League Executive Director Bill Dressel. He reminded the Commission that municipal governments maintain over 25,000 miles, or about 70 percent of New Jersey 's roadways. "It has long been a struggle to keep these vital arteries open and in good repair, " Dressel said.

A review of local transportation needs indicated that $121 million is needed for county bridges, $7.5 mil-lion for municipal bridges, and $44 million for county roadways and $112 million for municipal roadways. As leaders and representatives of local government, we have a strong case to make for Trust Fund renewal with an infusion of dedicated new revenues. The League also has been active in efforts for reauthorization by Congress of the TEA 21 federal funding program to the states. In fact, the Trust Fund must produce the matching dollars to take advantage of federal transportation aid. Working in cooperation with other public organizations such as the New Jersey Association of Counties, we can and must rally our local residents to join and support the battle. This means organizing public education programs on what transportation means to everyone in our daily lives —from economic and environmental health, to the safety of our families, and indeed, to our overall quality of life. Over the past decade, New Jersey's ability to fund repairs and safety improvements to highways, bridges and public transportation has been jeopardized by poor fiscal policy and growing financial constraints.