NJ.com, 9/29:
Why did transportation experts warn of a crash at NJ Transit? | Editorial
Everything written about NJ Transit in the foreseeable future is likely to be viewed in the context of the Hoboken tragedy, so we start with this disclaimer: No one knows what caused the crash, and we trust the Legislature will do the right thing by investigating it thoroughly.
But the investigation must begin with this immutable truth: NJ Transit is missing 21 percent of its budget – shelved during that political pie fight known as the Transportation Trust Fund negotiation – and independent rail experts have been issuing warnings for months that this shortfall increases the risk of an accident and puts passengers in peril.
Amid these warnings, NJ Transit had cancelled every public board meeting since June 8.
Earlier this week, Martin Robins of the Voorhees Transportation Center at Rutgers – the éminence grise for transit matters in our state – said that he was startled that 222 NJ Transit projects remain on the shelf, suspended by Gov. Christie back in June.
SNIP
That's not to suggest that NJ Transit is as horrid as the PA. But the public should not have to tolerate Christie's infamous radio silence, and every agency in his purview should be obligated to show it serves a broader interest rather than a constituency of one. Denying public access is the wrong way to do that, and now a tragedy demands public accountability.
More here.