Corzine Acts To Cut Prices for New Jersey Drivers
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New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine, citing a need to bring down gasoline prices, said he wants the Legislature to approve a pilot program allowing self-service stations in the state for the first time since 1949.
All or some of the stations along the 148-mile New Jersey Turnpike, the busiest American highway, would be converted to self-service under a plan that will have to be approved by lawmakers, Mr. Corzine said.
“The main issue here is whether price savings from self-service actually get passed through to consumers,” Mr. Corzine said at a news conference held to detail his response to surging gasoline prices. “Most people say we can expect savings of 5 to 6 cents a gallon.”
New Jersey and Oregon are the only states that ban self-service gas. State Senator Gerald Cardinale, a Republican who has been trying to end the self-service ban since the 1980s, said the safety concerns that prompted passage of the law more than 50 years ago are no longer a factor with modern equipment, and that allowing self-service would reduce gas prices.
“Self-serve is not the whole answer, but it can be a small step at helping families make ends meet,” Mr. Cardinale said.
Average pump prices in New Jersey for regular gasoline are now $2.87 a gallon – up “dramatically” from $2.25 two months ago – and more than $3 for premium, said Mr. Corzine, a Democrat.
The state will increase monitoring of gas stations to make sure that consumers are charged the posted price and to enforce a state ban on changing prices more than once a day, Attorney General Zulima Farber said at the news conference.
“We want to make sure that our citizens are treated fairly at the pump,” Mr. Corzine said.
Mr. Corzine outlined other measures to help ease prices. NJ Transit, operator of the state’s biggest network of passenger trains and buses, will offer 26,000 free round-trip tickets to encourage ridership and expand the number of bus trips offered on 46 routes, the governor said.
Passengers who register for car pools will get $100 debit cards for gas purchases at a cost of $500,000 to the state, Transportation Commissioner Kris Kolluri said at the news conference.
Hybrid cars, which use an electric motor to increase gas mileage, will be allowed to ride in turnpike HOV lanes now reserved for vehicles with three or more passengers.
