Sen. Menendez Touts Federal Transit Bill in Ridgewood

Standing in front of the newly-renovated , Sen. Robert Menendez on Monday touted the impact a new federal bill would have for New Jersey commuters in clearing congestion and cutting red tape to initiate transit development while preserving and creating jobs.

Surrounded by local elected officials and armed transit police, the Democratic senator said New Jersey could reap rewards should the Federal Transportation Act of 2012 be passed by the legislature.

"We are here today to announce that New Jersey stands to get $519 million in federal transit funding from the Federal Transportation Act that came out of the Banking Committee without any increase in federal spending," Menendez said. "We have cut waste and eliminated earmarks so that New Jersey will see a $63 million per year [increase] for two years in transit funding. As a matter of fact, in the senate version, [it's] more transit funding than in any previous year."

The bill, which passed through the bipartisan Senate Banking Committee unanimously, should be arriving on the upper house's floor this week, the senator said.

Included in the bill are plans to develop a "transit planning program" to encourage "smart growth," working in conjunction with the Livable Communities Act and Transit Village setup ($20 million); increase funding for transit working training held at the National Transit Institute at Rutgers (from $3.8 to $5 million); increase transportation funding for the elderly and disabled (from $6.5 to $7.8 million); provide greater oversight for the federal government in safety policies and enforcement; transition to cleaner energy vehicles (from $51.5 million to $65 million); and streamline the local process for transit development to improve existing systems and lines, which Menendez said is an unduly bureaucratic process.

"It means more resources to protect good-paying jobs and to create more good-paying jobs," Menendez said of the proposed bill, a sharp contrast to the Republican bill in the House of Representatives. "And it provides more funds to make the improvements we need to ease congestion, mitigate delays and in the end contribute to making New Jersey more livable and more competitive."

Other featured speakers – Steven Higashide of the Tri-State Transportation Campaign; Paul Larrousse, Director of the National Transit Institute; and Gideon Weissman, of New Jersey Public Interest Research Group – joined Menendez, each calling the proposed bill good policy that will strengthen New Jersey's competitive advantage over other states in transit.

"This is a victory for transportation, it's a victory for America, it's a common sense investment that will create jobs, keep this nation competitive and make our communities more productive, accessible and livable," Menendez said.