Ocean County commuters will ring in the new year with toll hikes, again. The New Jersey Turnpike Authority on Tuesday approved its $2.7 billion budget that includes a 3% toll increase on both the Garden State Parkway and Turnpike, the fifth increase in four years.

Commuters will pay 8 cents more at toll plazas and 3 cents more on entrance and exit ramps.

“That’s a lot of loaves of bread or gallons of milk that Ocean County families would rather spend that money on,” Assemblyman Greg McGuckin (R-Ocean) said. “This increase targets my constituents, many of whom travel the Parkway every day to support their families. They are fed up with out-of-control government spending and tone-deaf bureaucrats who act like feudal overlords.”

Back in 2020, the authority granted itself the power to automatically increase tolls up to 3% each year, claiming the figure is based on a process called indexing. However, McGuckin has led a chorus of critics, including other Republican lawmakers and the National Motorist Association, who say the Authority lacks clarity and transparency in what that process actually entails.

“When they bother to explain, they blame inflation. They blame increased employee costs. They blame projects that people don’t want,” McGuckin said. “They never blame themselves. And they always ‘need’ the three percent. Hey Elon, Vivek. We need a dose of DOGE at the Turnpike Authority.”

McGuckin called on Gov. Phil Murphy to veto last year’s $2.6 billion NJTA budget; the governor did but ultimately approved once the 2023 elections for all 120 seats in the state Legislature were safely in the rearview mirror. He said he expects the lame-duck Murphy to ignore similar calls this time as there are no immediate political benefits.

“Stop playing politics with people’s wallets,” McGuckin said.