Political Arena

Farewell to cash tolls

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Paying tolls in cash will no longer be an option at any of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority bridges and tunnels in the city starting in 2017, Gov. Andrew Cuomo has announced. 

The plan to eliminate tollbooths at the seven MTA bridges and two tunnels New York is part of an effort to reduce roadway congestion, Gov. Cuomo said on Oct. 5. 

By next year, the MTA will automatically withdraw tolls from drivers’ E-ZPass accounts, while any driver without an E-ZPass will have their license plate photographed and will get a bill mailed to the registered address. 

The MTA’s Henry Hudson Bridge had already scrapped its cash option in November 2012.

“I think what they have done on the Henry Hudson in terms of getting rid of the tollbooths is good,” Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz said. “It’ll help the flow of traffic resulting in less congestion which will reduce pollution.”

The all-electronic system on the Henry Hudson was meant as a trial period to see if the system would work, Mr. Dinowitz said. 

New York in lagging behind a nationwide trend to eliminate tollbooths. The Florida Turnpike phased out cash tolling in 2009 and both the Golden Gate Bridge and the North Texas Tollway Authority did so in 2013.

However, Mr. Dinowitz said he would like to make sure MTA funds are not disproportionately spread out in order to complete the cashless process.

“I think some of the steps that the governor is talking about here are good steps,” Mr. Dinowitz said, adding, however: “It’s going to cost a lot of money. The one cautionary thing I would say is when we are dividing money in the capital plan that we make sure that we don’t lose focus on the subway and the busses.”

 

Calls for better bus service

A slew of Bronx and Manhattan City Council members have taken a hard stance on the need for fixes in the New York bus system, and now are calling on straphangers to grade their bus route.

On Oct. 6, the Bus Turnaround Coalition held a rally in front of the City Hall to advocate for its new bus route report card program that allows riders to rate their bus route and highlight what lines might need the most improvement. 

“When it comes to improving bus service in New York City, thankfully we don’t have to reinvent the wheel,” said Councilman Ydanis Rodriguez, who chairs the transportation committee. “Thanks to a strong coalition of advocates, we have a clear roadmap in place, with innovative ideas and strategies to really turnaround flagging bus service that so many New Yorkers rely upon. I’m proud to join this call and I look forward to making real strides going forward.”

Advocates said better bus service would help ease geographic inequality, as most bus riders come from outer boroughs such as the Bronx, where traveling from east to west and vice versa can be difficult.

Better bus advocacy has been a long-lasting theme in Bronx politics even among state politicians like Mr. Dinowitz, who has been calling for improved service on the Bx10 bus route.

“This is not a new issue, I know that several years ago there were cutbacks in bus service,” he said. “If you live in the Bronx, a lot of the public transportation that you take, unless you are going into Manhattan is on a bus or busses… there’s only so much people can take and for people who live in the Bronx—all parts of the Bronx not just around us—we have just as much right to have good mass transit as do the people who live in Manhattan.”

MTA, bus service, Better Bus Coalition, Ydanis Rodriguez, cash tolls, Henry Hudson Bridge, Jeffrey Dinowitz, Anthony Capote

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