N.J. GOP senators ask DRPA to rescind hikes

The 17 Republicans in the New Jersey Senate have asked the Delaware River Port Authority to rescind its recently imposed increases in bridge tolls and train fares. In a resolution introduced Monday, the Republicans said the increases placed "an undue burden on the state's citizens who travel to work in the Philadelphia area." Democrats control the Senate, so chances for passage of the resolution are slim.

Tolls were increased 33 percent in September for motorists using the Ben Franklin, Walt Whitman, Betsy Ross and Commodore Barry Bridges. PATCO High-Speed Line fares were increased 10 percent. A round of similar increases is scheduled for 2010. The increases were approved after rancorous hearings. The primary sponsors of the resolution, Sens. Diane Allen and Thomas Kean Jr., are seeking Pennsylvania legislators to sponsor a similar resolution.

- Paul Nussbaum