Sunday, August 10, 2008

Bloomberg wants to toll all Manhattan bridges

With his congestion pricing plan dead for now, Mayor Bloomberg said Friday he'd support putting tolls on the bridges into Manhattan.

"Tolling the bridges actually makes a lot of sense," the mayor told a caller on his WOR-AM radio show. "It's easier to do. It is bigger. It includes upper Manhattan."

A commission last year said $4 tolls on every free crossing into Manhattan could raise $859 million. It is one option likely to be considered by a special panel studying how to raise money for the cash-strapped MTA.


With congestion pricing out, Mayor Bloomberg likes tolls on bridges

22 comments:

Anonymous said...

What does this photo of two lesbians have to do with this story??

Anonymous said...

And remember, for all youse outer-borough types, that means I gets to charge you DOUBLE the toll to take you home after your 14-hour workday in Bloomie's Manhattan.

'Course, I don't see that money, but I get the satisfaction of popping youse for it.

That'll learn your asses.

Anonymous said...

This is good. Congestion pricing will come, one way or another, sooner or later, because it makes complete sense, and is fair and equitable. Let's hope it happens soon!

Anonymous said...

Yes! Tolls on all crossings! That is a good first step. Next thing to work on is residential parking permits. Congestion pricing will come back in some form.

Anonymous said...

How does tolling all the bridges help the environment? Wasn't that the main official reason behind congestion pricing? All this will do is make pollution at the crossings worse.

Anonymous said...

That's not the point of congestion pricing. The point is to punish the other boroughs for daring to enter Manhattan, which Bloomie and pals are trying to make an exclusive playground for themselves.

Anonymous said...

All for it as long as the tolls are both ways. Will be a bitch to implement, though, especially on the narrow bridges in upper manhattan.

Anonymous said...

Yeah let's think about how much it will cost to implement this. To build the toll plazas, to staff them, to hire police to patrol them (BIG expense), the EZPass technology. This won't happen anytime soon.

Anonymous said...

It will never happen. This Commissar is a failure. Every thing he starts, he fails to complete because he starts stupid, anti-taxpayer efforts.

We're on to this miserable misanthrope.

Unknown said...

Sure - Subways & Busses to Manhattan are already over crowded. Lets push more people to use them. They need to be upgraded before pushing people to use them more.

Anonymous said...

More people on subways and buses = more fare revenue. A $1B tax on those who are too good to take public transit is just a bonus in my book. Plow all that money into the MTA and add service and build new subway lines. Win win in my book. Expensive to implement? Really? Have you seen a tool booth recently? You need a few thousand and a few days of construction to implement. Bring it on!

georgetheatheist said...

It's two-by-two vehicles, tightly packed shoulder-to-shoulder, to currently get onto the Queensboro. Now, you are going to put tolls booths on these narrow thoroughfares? Where's the rush hour back-up going to end? Nassau County?

(PS They ought to put a toll on his legs. Have you ever seen anything more disgusting? BTW is his "squeeze" Diana Taylor the "top" when [or if] they "do it"?)

Anonymous said...

don't want to get caught in traffic on the QB bidge? park your car and take any of the 7 subway lines that run through that area.

Anonymous said...

How much money is enough money, I just received my water bill and it includes another 14% increase. Mr. Mayor I am not a billionaire likes you. Stop reaching in my pocket, removing my money and laughing at me. A toll on these bridges directly effects the working men and women of this city. Why is it that no one represents us!

Anonymous said...

"park your car and take any of the 7 subway lines that run through that area."

Where am I parking? The garage is being torn down for condos. And which line doesn't drive through at capacity at Queens Plaza these days?

Anonymous said...

Can't wait until your term is over Mayor Bloomberg. You put tolls on the bridges to Manhattan and your legacy will be that you were the Mayor who cried when he did not get his way with congestion pricing so he had to screw the boroughs in a different way in order to gate his precious Manhattan.

Don't fret Bloomie, our pockets are almost empty from everything else you have let happen to the working class. Not many of us driving into the city...can't afford the gas.

LEAVE US ALONE WITH ALL YOUR TAXES, TOLLS AND RATE HIKES!

Anonymous said...

Well, didn't I say that would be his prissy "honor's" next move, out of spite, for the failure to impose his flawed congestion pricing plan?

That Boston brat still has some more tricks up his sleeve to punish us!

Anonymous said...

If NYC has a cash flow problem, instead of sticking it once again to the tax payer, why don't these government officals
1. cut their annual salary to what the average OVERTAXED JOE makes.
2. Dip into their slush funds i'm sure that would really put us back on track.
Hey Bloomie, if i mis manage my money i have to pay the consequences if you and your administration mis manage money why do we have to pick up the tab.

Anonymous said...

Stop using our tax dollars to translate everything and anything into languages other than English. Just think of how much money you will save. Do that instead of putting tolls on our bridges...., that's right OUR BRIDGES, they are not yours Mayor Bloomie!

Anonymous said...

Being a bike commuter I also think this is stupid and a way for him to pocket more money to build real estate on the upper east side or where ever he wants.Has the person behind this blog ever talked about Quinn and Bloomie starting fake non profit orgs.to just plainly pocket money and also funnel it to real estate cronies?

Anonymous said...

Toll both ways. Nothing gets manufactured in Manhattan so watch as Manhattan stores double and triple their prices and Manhattan residents cry.

Anonymous said...

Tolls are a bad idea.

BRING BACK THE COMMUTER TAX!

This should be on the ballot so NYC residents can vote it back.