MTA’s fare and toll hikes opposed

Councilman Ydanis Rodriguez, whose Upper Manhattan district includes part of Marble Hill, is taking a stand against proposed MTA fare and toll hikes.

He called on the authority to cancel plans to implement a 4-percent increase for subway and bus tickets as well as bridge and tunnel tolls.

In a statement following a Dec. 10 public hearing on the proposals, Mr. Rodriguez said he understands the MTA needs to make up for a predicted $15 billion budget shortfall. But he called the authority’s proposals “a regressive tax on the working and middle class.”

The MTA is considering two different alternatives. Under one plan, MetroCard costs would jump from $2.50 to $2.75, with an increase in bonuses for card purchases. In the other plan, there is no price jump, but bonuses are completely eliminated. It was not immediately clear how the plans would affect tolls on the Henry Hudson Bridge and other bridges into the Bronx.

“Our city is at a crossroads. We must invest in our transportation infrastructure to bring it up to the world-class status required of us,” Mr. Rodriguez’s statement read. “However, I refuse to support any methods that would put the burden of closing the fiscal gap on the backs of the working class.”

Montefiore missives

It took just over three weeks for the city’s Department of Buildings (DOB) to answer a letter from the lawyer hired by local activists opposed to Montefiore Medical Center’s plans for a new facility on Riverdale Avenue. The lawyer, Chris Rizzo, asked the department to deny any forthcoming application from Montefiore on grounds there ultimately will be no tenant for the building.

But when Werner deFoe, the DOB’s Bronx borough commissioner, did reply, he raised suspicion from the activists — a group that has repeatedly emphasized they do not trust Montefiore and demanded more of people in power since the health care giant announced its plans. 

Mr. deFoe wrote on Nov. 17 that it is premature to speculate on any future plans from Montefiore, whose original filing is in disapproved status.