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I find the use of terms like "gravy train" just used by your guest misleading. It gives the impression that the vast majority of municipal employees are highly paid and that their pensions are huge. This is simply not the case, and the use of such phrases create terrible misimpressions.

Wife and I are major treehuggers but we just gave up on New Jersey Transit for our commute.

We moved to a lovely town on the "Raritan Valley" Train Line which switches onto the Northeast Corridor Line.

Commuters count on a 20 minute delay -- each way -- 5 days a week that adds up to 2 hours of pure delay.

Every few months another family from the city moves out here into a lovely home planning to live a better life and commute in.

And like clockwork, every few months another one of those families moves out.

All because New Jersey Transit cannot manage to provide clean trains with enough seats and non-angry conductors (with some wonderful exceptions) -- that follow their own schedule.

As one of the plaintiffs in the New Jersey same-sex marriage lawsuit, I reiterate that it is not just about the benefits...it's about the respect. As a result of not being granted marriage rights, we have seen countless incidences (employers, insurance companies, medical services) where gay and lesbian couples, who have been "unionized", have not gotten the respect that married couples automatically receive. Marriage is the only form of commitment that our society honors and recognizes as deserving of its respect.

The simple fact is that the real problem with mass transit between New York and New Jersey is on the NJ side. I go into the city frequently, and I live 15 minutes outside the city by car but 45 minutes outside the city by bus. I prefer to take the bus because I don't like the hassle of driving and parking in New York, but where's the incentive to take the bus for those who don't mind that?

What New Jersey needs is a better train system that would connect the different areas of Northern New Jersey and would then connect somewhere to the greater New York subway system.

60,000 cars isn't a lot? right. And if it congestion pricing cuts that by 30,000 people travelling by cars, those people are still going to have to get into NYC. How are they going to get there. On my bus? I don't think so, because I can barely get a seat as it is.

I think the congestion charge is a great idea.

I live directly across the river from Manhattan (I can see the 79th St Boat basin from my bedroom window. But it takes me an hour or more to get into the city by bus in the daytime, because of congestion through the Lincoln Tunnel. I think a charge for driving in Manhattan would make the bus trip quicker, and (more importantly) would make it easier for me to predict how long the trip will take (currently, as little as 20 minutes, or as long as an hour and a half).

In addition to being able to take the bus (to the Port Authority), I can also take the Hudson Bergen Light Rail, trasnfering to the PATH in Hoboken. This requires a 45 minute walk for me to the light rail station, or a bus ride on a very congested street (30-40 minutes to go 40 blocks in the daytime). Adding the commuter charge might encourage NJ Transit to develop new travel options. I've heard ideas discussed like running the Light Rail through the Lincoln Tunnel, extending the Light Rail beyond its current limited routes, etc.

I don’t commute, but my wife and I go into the City frequently. We haven’t driven in for many years. We usually park at the Journal Square PATH station and take the PATH train in. It’s a great bargain now, but if the commuter fee goes into effect, this treasure may disappear or be overwhelmed.

One main reason that many gay and lesbian couples are not seeking Civil Unions in NJ is because it has simply already been demonstrated that it is infact not equal to full marriage - this has been support by the New York Times and many NYS, NJ and national studies. Separate but equal does not work.

maybe if NJ would help reinstate a commuter tax NJ & NY could work on mass transit together with those funds.

NJ Transit from NJ into Manhattan is already overwelmed during rush hour, so obviously this will just make things even worse if it's possible.