New York, NY – Mayor Michael Bloomberg ignited another firestorm of controversy on Friday over East River tolls.
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Just when you thought the plan was out of gas the mayor is bringing it back, reports CBS 2’s Marcia Kramer.
Bloomberg wants to sell you the Brooklyn Bridge. Well, not sell it exactly — just sell you on the idea of paying when you use it. He wants the same thing to happen on the Queensboro Bridge, the Williamsburg Bridge, the Manhattan Bridge, the Willis Avenue Bridge and all the other Harlem and East River crossings that currently allow you to enter the sacred island of Manhattan for free.
“Probably if you wanted to do it in this day and age you just toll all the bridges around Manhattan, not just a handful down below,” Bloomberg said.
The mayor’s pet project has raised its furry little head again as part of a new effort to get congestion pricing — now rebranded as “traffic pricing” — to raise money for the cash-strapped Metropolitan Transportation Authority. The new selling points are promises of bus and subway service restoration, payroll tax relief for suburban businesses and a fare rollback.
Too bad we, on the normal side of the rive have ZERO say on all Bloomingidiotberg’s grabyourmoney shenanigans. His ideas are utterly horrible!
This is a terrible idea to gain revenue for the city. These bridges have always been free. I only use the free bridges to get in or out of the city. There are plenty of bridges and tunnels that the city tolls. They make enough money from those. They also just raised all the tolls on them. Why do we have to be subjected to tolls to enter Manhattan. Bloomberg already has his ridiculous bike lane plans in place. Maybe Mr. Bloomberg should tax bicyclists for crossing the city’s’ bridges. Why are they allowed to enter Manhattan for free? Why can the park for free? It costs the city millions of dollars to put these bike lanes in place but they don’t make a cent off it. If anything they are losing money because less cars are coming into Manhattan and not paying for tolls and parking. There are other ways to make money for the MTA. Stop paying them overtime. Stop having them fake inspections and bill the city for their ‘work’.
Rich bloomberg wants poor people out of Manhattan. he wants Manhattan for the rich only, so he makes it expensive to get in. Once he will pass this toll he will make a pedestrian toll at all manhattan train station.
I wish he looses his fortune (yes I really do) so he should start thinking normally, as of now he doesn’t understand us and never will.
1 thing I can tell you Bloomberg in the name of the whole NYC get out of city hall and get a life. STOP making our life harder than it is.
He does not know what it is NOT to have!! He has always HAD!! When he gives, who does he give to??? I rest my case!!
Every step we take or every activity we do is being taxed.Almost all aspects of life.We the people with real jobs and responsibilities are bearing the burden for the rest of society. By this i mean the parasite-welfare class who live off of other people’s hard work.If one calculates realistically we are paying close to 40-50% of earned income in taxes and receive very little in return.
The city ” government” is so inept and corrupt that even by charging $10-15 for a ride on a bridge they loose money.NYC trains (not including buses,obviously) have at least 10 million riders a day -including weekends that’s at least 55-65 million ridersa week.How can any business with so many customers loose money ? ineptness and big time corruption.
It has become unfeasible to live here unless you are on welfare.
Bloomburg should watch the events in cairo closely.There comes a breaking point for every society.
I agree with bloomberg.
I’d rather pay a few shekels every time I come in the city and sit in less traffic than sit in traffic and get in for free.
Hope it is a big toll
#2 you are soooooo right!
#3 i agree with you too!
the city of new york is his monopoly game.
we are nothing but little tokens on a board that he toys with.
Recall Bloomberg now!
“The new selling points are promises of bus and subway service restoration.”
See, that’s a problem. If drivers are being asked to foot the bill, they should be the ones benefitting. The FDR is in horrible shape – there are potholes everywhere, and lanes randomly begin and end – and if we have to pay to get in, at least use the money for our benefit. And I don’t want to hear the MTA’s excuse of, “Well, if more people use mass transit there’s less traffic,” because they’ve been raising the tolls in the outer boroughs – where there aren’t many other options to get around – too.
This might just be his swan song. Time for him to bow out (gracefully, I can hope)
was just on the brooklyn bridge today and boy it is one giant pothole.
cant wait to hear how much it costs to have that fixed.