MTA officials met this morning to talk about a $1.2 billion budget gap, and possible tolls on East River bridges. CBS 2′s Magee Hickey reports from outside MTA headquarters in Midtown.
Putting tolls on some or all of the East River bridges — the Brooklyn, Manhattan, Williamsburg and 59th Street Bridge — is part of the bailout plan being considered.
Since both the city and state are basically broke, New Yorkers are also looking at fare increases, budget cuts, tax increases, and congestion pricing.
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
Jose 11.08.08 at 10:50 pm
As long as They give yellow cabs free way without paying a penny, I am for it. There are too many cars in Manhattan. We need a real plan how to move through the streets of the City without so many assholes driving or pretending They are driving. Yellow cabs should not pay any penny to cross this bridges. We are public transportation and the City has to recognize taht. Jose
Gil Avineri 11.09.08 at 12:13 am
Imagine the yellow cabs having to dish out toll money for every trip into Manhattan. Even before we have a passenger in the early mornings. Hell. But by all means, please do sting the civilian motorists so poisonously that they stop cramming our streets already.
Kate 11.10.08 at 12:29 am
Is this not the very SAME agency that three years ago said they had a HUGE surplus? They have been scamming us and this is just another route. You can’t raise both subway and motorist costs! The point of motorist tolls is to force people to mass transit, non? We’re already losing so many talented people from Manhattan to Brooklyn. This will drive more there to stay and Manhattan businesses will suffer. Clubs, employers, restaurants, everyone will lose revenue with fewer people coming into the city. Workers coming in won’t be able to afford it. To keep traffic moving on the Brooklyn Bridges it would be better to designate one bridge for trucks, one for taxis, and one for cars during certain hours. So everyone can get in and out easier and faster. Adding tolls costs money before it makes money. We can’t afford the development.
End of Days 01.19.09 at 10:45 am
NYC is against NYC. The politicians will do everything in their power to keep us down and will continually seek new ways to hurt us and take as much as they can from us. What we need is a bullet to the head of Bloomberg and for the city to reclaim the transportation rights from the evil empire known as the MTA. We need a drastic change. When those bastards first put up the Verrazano bridge way back when, they told local residents that there would no longer be a toll once the bridge was paid for… look at us now, millions a day at $10 a toll and climbing. What will give in this city? We work harder and longer hours, pay more taxes, have less holidays/vacation and deal with more traffic and less mass transit service. This has become a city for the privileged. Next they’ll have us ritually sacrifice our first born to Bloomberg. If only it were the good ol’ days and we could march on in and raid the Bastille. May the gods help us during these dark times. Anyone who is for the tolls/taxes is obviously VERY well off and oblivious to the dismal days ahead. You too should be bludgeoned.