Coalition Proposes Toll Changes in NYC
Coalition Proposes Toll Changes in NYC
Transit advocates want to make bridge tolls more consistent in New York City.
Transit advocates are calling for toll changes in New York City.
A proposal from the Move New York Coalition's calling for new tolls on four East River bridges as well as reduced fares on several other crossings. It also wants to toll vehicles crossing 60th St. in Manhattan.
Former New York City Traffic Commissioner Sam Schwartz says the city's uneven tolls are an injustice.
"There is one traveler that hasn't seen any change in the cost of travel, and that's the person that drives into Manhattan over the Manhattan Bridge, the Williamsburg Bridge, the Queensboro Bridge or the Brooklyn Bridge, " Schwartz said.
A similar proposal by the Bloomberg administration was defeated in 2008. Queens Council Member Mark Weprin says he opposed that proposal because it didn't benefit the outer boroughs. But now he says he's changed his mind.
"We're going to increase the amount of mass transit options that are given to the outer boroughs," Weprin said. "We will have money to spend on trying to make it easier to commute from the outer boroughs by public transportation."
Advocates say revenue from the tolls would fill an estimated $15 billion hole in the Metropolitan Transportation Authority's capital budget plan.
