Recent Streetsblog NYC posts about Bridge Tolls

Adriano Espaillat Reaffirms Love of Traffic, Distaste for Tolls

By Brad Aaron | Jun 30, 2009 | 2 Comments

We wondered a few months back why Upper Manhattan Assembly Member Adriano Espaillat, a supporter of congestion pricing, would side with the usual suspects in opposing Ravitch-backed East and Harlem River bridge tolls. At the time, Espaillat told Streetsblog readers that new tolls would place an unfair burden on his district, and blamed MTA financial […]

The Short History of Queensboro Bridge Tolls

By Brad Aaron | Jun 1, 2009 | 7 Comments

In 1909, wrote the Times, tolls on the brand new Queensboro Bridge were temporarily suspended for a "touring contest" on Long Island, described as "an enjoyable diversion for a great many New York and Brooklyn motorists." We learned from yesterday’s Queensboro Bridge centennial commemoration that the toll was 10 cents for car crossings in 1909. […]

Senator Diaz: Sticking It to Transit Riders and Proud of It

By Ben Fried | May 7, 2009 | 28 Comments

In this scene from last night’s State Senate vote on the MTA funding package, Fare Hike Four member Ruben Diaz, Sr. relishes his substantial influence over the final bill: Today I’m standing here proud to say to my constituents. I promise you, constituents of the 32nd senatorial district, no toll. That would be the asthma-plagued […]

We Can’t Go on Living Like This

By Ben Fried | May 6, 2009 | 12 Comments

We’ll have more on the details of the MTA funding deal as they emerge. For now I’d like to focus on its most salient feature: The failure to impose new fees on car commuters, whose daily trips would slow to a standstill without a functional transit system. Here’s a taste of what New Yorkers can […]

Malcolm Smith Spins Transit Band-aid as Victory for “Reform”

By Ben Fried | May 5, 2009 | 9 Comments

Now that Governor Paterson has backtracked on his pledge to secure a long-term solution to New York’s transit funding crisis, the push is on to spin the slapdash result as a responsible outcome, not a capitulation to Albany’s lowest common denominator. Courtesy of Liz Benjamin, here’s Senate Majority Leader Malcolm Smith emerging from last night’s […]

Paterson Abandons Long-Term MTA Financing Effort

By Ben Fried | May 4, 2009 | 12 Comments

We’re getting dangerously close to transit Armageddon. Seeking a quick resolution to the MTA funding crisis, Governor Paterson lobbied over the weekend to get a Band-aid fix through the State Senate. The problem is, Paterson’s plan provides no resolution at all. Fundamental details of the proposal are still sketchy, even as the governor pushes for […]

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