BOSTON - The chairmen of the state Legislature's Joint Committee on Transportation were quick to criticize Gov. Deval Patrick's transportation plan on Tuesday, saying that it doesn't take into account all of the challenges facing the state's transportation system and that the administration took too long to deliver the proposal.

The committee held its second of four hearings on public transportation issues on Tuesday. This hearing focused on Gov. Deval Patrick's proposal and it quickly became apparent that the chairmen of the committee were not on board.

"We are looking at, come January or February, is a decision from the Legislature," said state Sen. Steven Baddour (D-Methuen), a chairman of the committee. "Do we go forward with the plan the governor has put forth or do we need to do something different? It is my position that we need to do something different."

Patrick (D-Milton) and the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority have proposed eliminating tolls west of Route 128, except at the borders, but increasing tolls at the tunnels that lead to Logan International Airport to $7. The proposal also calls for eliminating the Turnpike Authority.

Baddour also aimed criticism at Transportation Secretary Bernard Cohen for how long it has taken the administration to produce a plan.

"The governor started talking about reforming the entire transportation system in 2007," he said.

Cohen emphasized that the administration's proposal seeks to reform the transportation system before creating revenue.

"The bureaucracy should be radically simplified," Cohen said.

Cohen also said the plan seeks to distribute the burden of the more than $2 billion Big Dig debt equally between tolls, other Massachusetts Port Authority resources and other commonwealth resources.

"We are looking to spread that among resources," Cohen said.

Cohen would not, however, specify what those MassPort and state resources would be, which raised the ire of lawmakers on the panel.

"Those details need to come to us," Baddour said. "I am convinced right now that there are a lot of questions."

Some lawmakers said they felt frustrated by the pace of the discussion.

"I feel like we still are where we were a few weeks ago in terms of specifics," added state Sen. Karen Spilka (D-Ashland).

State Rep. Joseph Wagner (D-Chicopee), the House chairman of the committee, said the governor's plan fails to address the $8 billion debt of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority.

"I don't know how we can do the partial fix without recognizing the large problem," he said. "I don't know how we are going to get at the one without knowing how we are going to get the other...I don't think we can look at them separately."

Cohen also noted that increasing the gax tax, which has been proposed by House Speaker Salvatore DiMasi (D-Boston), is not the governor's first choice.

"The governor has said and has continued to say...the gas tax is not his first choice for raising revenue for transportation," Cohen said, adding that Patrick is not "hostile" to the increase.

Baddour also expressed concerns that the governor's proposal would shift the burden of the Big Dig debt from the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority to Massport. The plan calls for Massport, which currently operates Logan International Airport, much of Boston Harbor and the Tobin Bridge, to assume control of the tunnels servicing the airport.

Cohen said that the administration is "not dumping anything onto Massport," but Thomas Kinton, the CEO and Executive Director of Massport, did not appear ready to jump at the governor's plan. When he posed the question of whether Massport is prepared to assume the additional responsibilities, Kinton said: "My answer at this juncture is an emphatic ‘maybe.'"

"Your remarks sound like a less than ringing endorsement of the governor's proposal," Wagner responded.