From Bayside Patch:Almost exactly two years after the plan to charge drivers over four spans connecting Brooklyn and Queens with Manhattan died in the State Legislature's upper chamber, GOP state senators are giving the idea another try.
A group of five Republicans introduced a bill last week that would eliminate a controversial payroll tax levied on businesses in seven suburban counties — a key part of a 2009 bailout plan engineered by Richard Ravitch to help balance the MTA's books.
In order to make up for the lost revenue on the state transportation agency's budget, the legislators revived an idea many Queens drivers hoped was dead: East River tolls.
And with no GOP members currently serving in the state Senate from Queens, the task of opposing the toll plan this time around fell entirely to minority Democrats.
19 comments:
They just throw all the money they steal from the public down the proverbial toilet. Less Money = Less Stealing. They took too much from us already. It has gotten way out of hand.
Exactly! Reduce taxes and tolls, deny these crooks access to our hard earned money. If it's the Republicans demanding more tolls(more taxes) in Albany and none are from queens, then rid Queens of the worthless Republicans in the NYC Council; Halloran, Koo, et.al. They only support over development and reduce quality of life in the boro anyway! Oust the incumbents.
The Pols are wasting time - they should look elsewhere for waste of funds - in their own districts. Queens resident shouldn't and wont pay to cross their own bridge. Try putting tolls on the twin bridges outside Albany going up the Northway first before coming here to do the same. If you accomplish a toll on the twin bridges, your welcome to try here.
According to a recent PBS TV channel mention:
At one point in its early history the Brooklyn Bridge actually did once have a very modest toll.
But knowing Bloomberg,
he'd support an outrageous toll on the BB if imposed!
Now, Ed Koch can pay everybody's toll on the former Queensborough Bridge, as far as I'm concerned.
Since it now bears his name, this is only fair game.
I'm tired of the upstaters digging into city pockets to fund their hamlets.
When can this city finally break free and let upstate new york rust away????
Koch Suckers!
If you really want to equalize the tools so as to not incentive long toll-free trips, lower the high tolls to make up for putting in tolls where there ar enone - make it revenue-neutral. Else it is a deliberate tax grab.
Tolls on the East River Bridges??
How about re-instating the commuter tax?
I toll you so!
We are all fucked thanks to EZ pass technology, which makes it much easier for us to pay existing tolls, but also makes it much easier to implement new tolls. One day in the not too distant future, we will all be paying for every mile we drive.
If the roadways (And Bridges) were well maintained and cared for, and not like a roadtrip on Crater Avenue, who would really complain about tolls? Remember tolls on most bridges were instituted to pay for the construction of the bridges. Does anyone remember the last time a toll was lifted? If memory serves it was the Northern & Southern State Parkways.
These bridges have been paid for many times over. Tolls were supposed to be temporary. They should be removed. If they put tolls on the free bridges, watch the tolls keep rising and rising. How much higher can they go? We have been taxed and tolled to death. Everything in this city is going up in cost and people are living paycheck to paycheck. The politicians just sqander and waste our money on their pet projects. This is why the middle class is moving out of NYC. Where will the politicians get their money once all the people with the ability to pay are gone?
ALL mass transit should be paid for by general taxes, and not by tolls or fares. This is more progressive.
ALL mass transit should be paid for by general taxes, and not by tolls or fares.
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WTF?
Brodsky was really instrumental in blocking Bloomberg's toll plan the last time around (and there were such really obnoxious little tidbits hidden in that plan). John Liu, of course, supported it, to strengthen his bid for Comptroller even though his District was getting screwed (it was very popular in some parts of Manhattan, although a well-organized Upper East Side group continued to fight the plan, even after they got themselves exempted from the parts that negatively affected them). I fear without Brodsky's clout, Bloomberg and the upstate Repubs will win this time.
Bloomberg really doesn't want the poor outerboros' riffraff polluting his Manhattan . . . .
"And with no GOP members currently serving in the state Senate from Queens, the task of opposing the toll plan this time around fell entirely to minority Democrats. "
What makes the author think that would matter?
When it comes to favoring the dead 'burbs and screwing the city, the gop are birds of a feather.
Look folks, the upstaters and suburbs HATE this city --even though the money they extort from it keeps their dying little hamlets going.
When you see a proposal to treat the outer boroughs as some foreign entity, you know what they think of our city.
We need to concentrate on electing pols from out area who'll support getting these hick leeches off our backs.
Ideally, that would mean making everything below the northern Westchester border a separate entity..Yes that would mean secession...but given what that would do to those areas which are already some of the poorest in the Nation, It's not a realistic hope.
So at least ask the questions and check the allegiances of those locals that you vote for.
do you think that bloomberg and bike-o psycho, sadie will force the bike riders to pay the toll across the bridges?
or make them put an e/z pass on the bike ?
Come on ..... enough already....Bloomberg hates to lose and he won't stop until these tolls on all bridges into Manhattan are implemented. He will go through any and all extremes....even paying someone else to make it look like their idea and not his. Can't stand this man....the sooner the better he leaves office
There should be congestion pricing on mass transit, too, just like LIRR off peak fares.
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