The city’s former traffic commissioner has a new plan to put tolls on East River bridges. But this proposal has some novel “selling points,” including a first-ever toll for cyclists.
Plan to toll the bridges have come and gone over the past few years, but the latest one by Sam Schwartz is starting to pick up steam, maybe because it goes after everyone.
“I’m trying to be equal opportunity pain throughout the region,” Schwartz said.
chwartz, known as “Gridlock Sam” to many, wasn’t kidding Friday when he told CBS 2’s Marcia Kramer that his new plan to raise $1.2 billion a year tolling the East River bridges will hit a lot of people. He wants to make everyone pay, even some who think they should be exempt.
“I’m asking the bike riders to pay 50 cents each way to use the bridges coming into our Central Business District,” Schwartz said.
Schwartz also wants to put a new surcharge on yellow and livery cabs, a surcharge on so-called “black cars” and a surcharge on parking in Midtown. New tolls would be put on the Ed Koch Queensboro, the Williamsburg, Manhattan and Brooklyn bridges.
Driver would pay $5 with E-ZPass; $7 without.
But in exchange for keeping cars out of the Central Business District below 60th Street, Schwartz wants to reduce – that’s right, reduce — tolls on uptown spans, the Triboro, Whitestone and Throgs Neck bridges.
The round-trip tab would drop from $13 to $8.
Join the official YWN WhatsApp status
7 Responses
I’m all for it, especially the reduction of the MTA tolls.
how about taxing pedestrians? that sounds more equal!!
How about taxing each train that comes in to manhattan that really will be eaqule
So now everyone will take the tunnels, if you have to pay anyway.
And what a mess that will be.
I am so glad I don’t live in New York City any more and I very rarely go there – it’s the tolls that are keeping me far away. It’s cheaper for me to go all the way to Canada or Florida (toll-wise).
It looks like a game of “Get as much money from the people as possible” is being played by our govt! (hi bloomy, I mean your mean attitude!)
“911, what’s your emergency?” “Yes I need an ambulance to go to NYU hospital”. “What’s the matter sir?”.”I just oppened my EZ-pass statment, and now I’m feeling light headed”. “Sir that will be $5″.”Five dollars?!? For what?” “Sir the Mta is now making us pay for tolls aswell”. “Ok, but can I bring along a few of my coworkers, so we can expense the trip as a carpool?”…….Welcome to the NEW york.