Thursday, January 21, 2010

Speedier rides will make crime fighting more challenging

From the NY Post:

The ride across MTA bridges will soon be faster -- but police aren't sure it'll be safer.

Law-enforcement officials are concerned that the agency's plan for no-stop tolls at its nine bridges and tunnels will eliminate a "natural roadblock" for drunken drivers, toll-beaters and even terrorists.

"There is a drastic impact from [a] law-enforcement perspective," one police source told The Post. "This will eliminate all the good, the gains that were made since 9/11."

Officers make an average of 1,800 arrests at the crossings every year, the source said, with nearly all coming at a toll plaza, where even vehicles equipped with E-ZPass have to slow down and wait for a gate.

That helps police determine if a driver is suspicious, and makes stopping vehicles easier.

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

There is a price to pay for convenience and speed...............

Anonymous said...

The other price is the livelihood of all the clerks who had this job too.

No subway clerks, no tollboth clerks, managers typing their own letters, half of the working and middle classes turned into destitution. What a way to save money.

Georges said...

The Police union is behind this who support the toll-taker union who would be eliminated. The saving from E-zpass implementation (no toll takers) were to eliminate the toll-takers entirely. This never happened nor has the toll been eliminated because of all the past tolls were to pay for maintenance only (the bridge is paid for supposedly) instead it was wasted on continued on human toll-takers.

Anonymous said...

Toll-taker is just another McJob. It does not matter if the gov't wastes money on these people paying them to sit in a booth all day, being useless, or sitting at home on welfare, being useless, it all works out the same to us the taxpayers in the end.


A bit more to the topic at hand... If they are pretty much admitting that even slowing down for a toll is not really a necessity, than at the same time they are admitting that a toll booth/gate is pretty much a roadblock..
. And if that is the case, i would look into the constitutionality of using it to stop people without probable cause.

Anonymous said...

Tolls are charged and will always be charged for two reasons: First, the bridge will always need maintenance and repair. Second, the bondholders who financed these bridges still insist on their interest.

Anonymous said...

A number of years ago I got a police scanner and before the novelty wore off, listened night and day.

One evening the police were chasing a driver down 21st Street who managed to get on to the Queensboro Bridge and speed towards Manhattan.

The cop radioed back to his superior asking if they could alert the Manhattan precinct.

He was told to forget it.

I guess it was equal to crossing country lines in Texas.

A Better NYC said...

I cross the Whitestone Bridge on a regular basis and I have never seen MTA officials assigned to specific lanes looking for drunks, criminals, etc...

I say get rid of the toll gates to keep traffic flowing.

Anonymous said...

I guess it was equal to crossing country lines in Texas.

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NYPD in general has a 'no chase' policy. Its fine out in texas or california, but in pedestrian-heavy NY, they would more often than not call off the chase.

Anonymous said...

Not only is toll-taking a waste of a job, but there have to be plenty of negative health effects of sitting in one those toll booths all day for years.

Anonymous said...

One reason there are toll collectors is becuse of A$$holes and criminALS who don't want to be tracked by their e-z pass record.Same morons who are continually tracked by the gps in their cellphone................

Queens Crapper said...

Ok I guess you folks haven't been through a toll plaza lately. You have to slow down and stop to go through the gate with an EZ Pass. The officers are on the other side of the gates watching to see if your registration is up to date, if you are wearing your seatbelt, talking on a cell phone, etc. This is what they are upset with. The new system eliminates the need to slow down.