City Officials Call For Equal Toll System For New York City Bridges
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Some New York City officials are calling for an equal and fair tolls system across all of New York City's bridges.
Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams and City Councilman Vincent Gentile said they plan to introduce a resolution in the New York City Council that will call for a fair system of fares on both sides of New York City's bridges, WCBS 880 reported.
The move comes on the heels of an announcement made earlier this week by New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo that the fare for Staten Island residents crossing the Verrazano Bridge will be reduced to $5.50 for non-commercial vehicles.
Brooklyn and other city residents were not offered the same reduction.
Currently, it costs $15 in cash or $10.66 with E-ZPass for non-Staten Island residents to cross the bridge.
Borough President Adams told WCBS 880 that the city should have one fare for all New Yorkers.
"We applaud the governor for the reduction for Staten Islanders. We felt that bridge amount is extremely high, but that reduction and the pain of paying that price is impacted in both boroughs, Brooklyn and Staten Island, and in fact all New Yorkers. We're one city and there should be one fare for all New Yorkers to share," Adams told WCBS 880.
Adams said he and Councilman Gentile agree with the reduced fare amount for Staten Islanders, but feel that the reduction should also apply to the Brooklyn side of the bridge.
"As you know, there are two sides to all bridges in New York. We can't have a one-sided fare system that would impact residents based on which side of the bridge they live," Adams said.
About 183,000 vehicles cross the span each day, according to the governor's office.
The toll drop for State Islanders could go into effect April 1 if it's approved by the MTA board. The proposal is expected to be approved at a meeting later this month, 1010 WINS' Roger Stern previously reported.
The Verrazano is the longest suspension bridge in North America.
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