Poll finds many skeptical of Corzine's toll-hike plan

TRENTON - Another poll shows Gov. Corzine faces an uphill battle to persuade increasingly pessimistic New Jerseyans to support boosting highway tolls to pay state debt and fund transportation.

The Fairleigh Dickinson University PublicMind poll released yesterday found voters opposing Corzine's plan to raise tolls.

"The governor has a tough sales job ahead of him," said Peter Woolley, a Fairleigh Dickinson political scientist and the poll's director.

The poll found 57 percent of voters oppose Corzine's plan, with 34 percent supporting it. Among those who use the New Jersey Turnpike and Garden State Parkway to commute, 68 percent oppose it and 26 percent support it.

Meanwhile, the poll found 44 percent approve of Corzine's performance, with 36 percent disapproving, down from a 48-32 ratio two weeks ago.

Among those who drive the turnpike and parkway to work, 32 percent rate his performance as poor, compared with 19 percent who don't use the roads.

The telephone poll of 927 registered voters was conducted Jan. 14-20 and has a margin of error of 3 percentage points.