Staten Island motorists heading out of Brooklyn via the Verrazano Bridge will soon spend slightly less money doing so, thanks to apparent vehicle-apologist Governor Cuomo's plan to lower tolls for borough residents with E-Z Pass. Yay for them! But in order to make these discounts possible, both the state and the MTA will have to pony up extra funds, so boo for us.
Right now, the toll for residents heading into the borough runs about $6 to $6.36 depending on how many trips you take per month; Cuomo's proposal allows SI residents with New York state E-Z Passes to pay a flat rate of $5.50. Trucks that use the Verrazano more than 10 times a month will also see their tolls slashed about 20 percent, though non-SI residents will still be subject to a $10.66 toll. "Anybody living on this island would welcome that," one SI resident told NY1.
The Verrazano toll has been rankling SI residents for years, and Congressman Michael Grimm even took time out from his busy journalist-menacing agenda to argue in favor of a 10-year hike cap. So, yes, this will cut people who drive into Staten Island (it's free to escape) a little financial slack, and Cuomo gets bonus points from a heavily Republican voting district in an election year. "I'd vote for him. Thanks for lowering the tolls," one SI driver told NY1. Just like that!
But, of course, the money has to be made up somewhere, and it'll be coming out of the MTA; both it and the state will have to contribute $7 million to support the discounts. So, naturally, that increases the likelihood that public transit riders will experience more fare hikes, and as Streetsblog notes:
Other likely effects of the Verrazano toll cut: Tougher negotiations with the TWU, which can now point to what appears to be slack in the MTA budget (but isn’t really), and a slightly less compelling case for the Move NY toll reform plan, which swaps higher tolls on crossings into Manhattan for lower tolls on outlying bridges like the Verrazano.
And, of course, making tolls cheaper makes driving into the city all the more attractive, ostensibly leading to more car congestion when Staten Islanders already have a free ferry and a number of express bus services at their disposal.
The MTA has to vote on Cuomo's plan, which they will likely do at the agency's next board meeting. Meanwhile, the non E-Z Pass Verrazano toll will remain a hefty $15-a-pop, which is just the price you'll have to pay to stay off Big Brother's radar.
