Gas Tax Hike, More Tolls Would Pay For North Shore Transit Plan

SALEM, MA — Leaders from 18 North Shore communities unveiled an ambitious plan to improve transportation to, from and within the region at a news conference in Salem Friday. While a total cost for the plan was not specified, transportation leaders said it would require significant state aid to implement. To pay for the plan, the group proposed increased gas taxes, fees on carbon emissions, increased fees for transportation network companies like Uber and Lyft and expanding tolls to highways that currently free for drivers to use.

"The North Shore Coalition shares a desire to improve access and transportation in the communities we live in, work in, visit and enjoy. Having an aligned vision, along with some options for funding these ideas, is critical to moving plans forward," Salem Mayor Kim Driscoll, who chairs the coalition, said. "This Transportation Vision can help us chart a course and get started on this important work."

The group cited increased average commute times for North Shore residents. The coalition said 108,000 residents of the region travel outside the region to work, while another 68,000 travel to the region for work. Another 95,000 travel within the region for work.

All told, the group proposed 19 initiatives that its 18-member communities could either implement individually or work together to implement.

"Though the impacts of increased roadway congestion and traffic are felt locally, no one community can mitigate those impacts on its own," said Hamilton Town Administrator Joseph Domelowicz. "In order to deal with this challenge, we need to partner with the state and we need to work together regionally to ensure that strategies proposed or adopted by one community don't exacerbate the problem in neighboring cities and towns."

The North Shore Coalition includes Beverly, Danvers, Essex, Gloucester, Hamilton, Ipswich, Lynn, Manchester-by-the-Sea, Marblehead, Middleton, Nahant, Peabody, Rockport, Salem, Saugus, Swampscott, Topsfield and Wenham. The group said it would not be able to fund the program without help from the state government.

"For this vision to become a reality, it will require serious commitment and action from the State House to fund these projects and other transportation projects throughout the Commonwealth," said Lynn Mayor Thomas McGee, who was previously the State Senate Transportation Committee Chair. "Our Coalition has identified specific recommendations to raise money for transportation, including increasing the gas tax, exploring innovative tolling mechanisms and increasing the surcharge on Uber and Lyft rides."