Most NJ drivers have already forgotten this hike to 85

How many New Jersey drivers remember the days of the 35 cent tolls? It honestly feels like an eternity ago.

But for a long time, those tolls remained frozen in time. The primary tolls on the Garden State Parkway were 35 cents, with most off and on ramps only setting you back 25 cents.

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That's also when the tolls weren't in their current one-way configuration. All the main toll plazas were for both directions, and high speed tolling wasn't a thing.

Yes, fares were even lower than that at one point, but the 25 and 35 cent tolls were in place for a very long time. That is, until now.

Nowadays, those fares are almost promised to go up every single year. Lately, it's been like the nickel and diming hikes, but that really doesn't matter. The point is, we're constantly paying more to travel our toll roads. And, in particular, the Garden State Parkway.

Forget the 85

Right now, the most common off and on ramp toll is 85 cents. Just a year ago it was 80 cents, and it probably won't be much longer when it gets to 90.

But dealing with constant toll hikes isn't the only problem. The bigger issue is that we're getting numb to it, and that's not good.

And that's the thing with the nickel and diming hikes. Because those hikes don't seem so steep on the surface, we tend to forget about them after a short period of time.

The big question is this. Why were we able to keep tolls consistently low in the past, but now we can't survive without constant hikes?

Forget 90, expect 100

Before we know it, a dollar will be the lowest toll we pay. Not saying it's going to happen next year, but it will happen eventually.

Hopefully, we'll get leadership soon that'll realize that constantly raising tolls hurts those who live in New Jersey most. Perhaps now is the time to cap them from going up, at least for 10 years.

The above post reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5 weekend host & content contributor Mike Brant. Any opinions expressed are his own.