Patrick told reporters he would be open to a smaller increase, but declined to specify a number, according to the Associated Press. When he unveiled the plan last week, he said he expected legislators to offer alternatives, but did not say how much he would be willing to yield.

He told reporters yesterday that a 4-cent increase would be enough to avert the set of toll hikes approved Tuesday but would not be enough to address all of the state’s transportation problems. He also repeated his vow to veto any bill that does not make the state’s transportation system more efficient.

Hidden deep inside Gov. Deval Patrick’s new plan is a fine-print provision linking the gas tax rate to yearly inflation-fueled hikes in the consumer price index, guaranteeing Bay State drivers will keep getting hosed at the pump long after he leaves the Corner Office.