New East River Bridges Toll Proposal Goes After Everyone, Including Bicyclists

50 Cents For Bikes, More Surcharges On Cabs Part Of 'Gridlock Sam' Plan

March 23, 2012 8:14 PM

(credit: CBS 2)

Filed under

Heard On 1010 WINS, WCBS, WFAN, Local, News, NY News, Radio.com - News, Seen On CBS 2HD, Syndicated Local, Syndication, Watch + Listen

Check These Out

Outrageous Celebs

Notable Deaths 2013

USA's Diet Busting Foods

Conservative Celebs

Adorable Baby Animals

Angelina Through The Years

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) – The city’s former traffic commissioner has a new plan to put tolls on East River bridges. But this proposal has some novel “selling points,” including a first-ever toll for cyclists.

Plan to toll the bridges have come and gone over the past few years, but the latest one by Sam Schwartz is starting to pick up steam, maybe because it goes after everyone.

“I’m trying to be equal opportunity pain throughout the region,” Schwartz said.

WCBS 880′s Marla Diamond On The Story

Schwartz, known as “Gridlock Sam” to many, wasn’t kidding Friday when he told CBS 2’s Marcia Kramer that his new plan to raise $1.2 billion a year tolling the East River bridges will hit a lot of people. He wants to make everyone pay, even some who think they should be exempt.

“I’m asking the bike riders to pay 50 cents each way to use the bridges coming into our Central Business District,” Schwartz said.

Schwartz also wants to put a new surcharge on yellow and livery cabs, a surcharge on so-called “black cars” and a surcharge on parking in Midtown. New tolls would be put on the Ed Koch Queensboro, the Williamsburg, Manhattan and Brooklyn bridges.

Driver would pay $5 with E-ZPass; $7 without.

But in exchange for keeping cars out of the Central Business District below 60th Street, Schwartz wants to reduce – that’s right, reduce — tolls on uptown spans, the Triboro, Whitestone and Throgs Neck bridges.

The round-trip tab would drop from $13 to $8.

With Mayor Michael Bloomberg in Asia, Deputy Mayor Cas Holloway said that while the mayor isn’t supporting a congestion pricing plan at this time, it is necessary to find some way to fund mass transit.

“It is definitely vital that we figure out how we’re going to fund transit for the long term. It’s the only way New York City is going to stay competitive,” Holloway said.

WCBS 880′s Rich Lamb: Deputy Mayor Says The Plan Will Get Due Consideration

Drivers are definitely not on board.

“It may help with traffic, but I mean I think we pay for enough as far as tolls coming into the city and gas prices the way it is. I don’t think we need more tolls,” Brooklyn resident Lance Smith said.

“I think it would just slow traffic more. I’m not really for it,” added Rhonda Rosenfeld of New Hyde Park.

“That would be a disaster,” another person said.

Just for the record, before 1911 there were tolls on the Ed Koch bridge — 10 cents for cars, 5 cents for push carts and 3 cents for horses.

Please share your thoughts below…

New East River Bridges Toll Proposal Goes After Everyone, Including Bicyclists

John Corzine

I can’t believe the stock exchange stays in NY. Why? Move the exchange, get out. In fact, any large financial company that stays in NY is crazy. The toll money is stolen, given to layabouts for unearned pensions.
Tom in NY

I have a better idea: Slap fines on the yo-yos who ride their bicycles on the sidewalks, against traffic in the streets, without helmets, without lights at night, who don’t use hand turn signals, and who violate the other rules of the road. They’d collect a billion dollars in the first week.

ESB

Yeah and tax every jackass pedestrian that jaywalks in front of a moving cyclist like they don’t exist and every car that almost hits cyclists obeying the rules and every car that double parks in the bike lane. Yeah!

Mike

Ha ha ha ha ha ha bunch of losers. That’s right tax your way to prosperity. Idiots.
Glad I don’t live in liberal land.

Kurt

Unfortunately those idiots run most of the state :[

SB

Does everything have to be about new taxes, and ways to bring in revenues??
Next thing, put it on the list. Register and inspects bicycles

http://www.dailyjobcuts.com

lukuj

It does if you are a liberal.

LIBERTY NOW

Everybody..just for one day, stay home, don’t go to work, shop, ride, bike, FLY … opt out. STOP feeding the beast.

Larry A.

I agree with completely. As many people as possible should take a sick day and just stay home. Do not pay tolls, do not buy anything that is taxed including gasoline. STOP FEEDING LIBERAL POLICIES THAT ARE TAKING YOUR FREEDOM!

Johnny Fonny

If the tolls and fees go high enough, maybe Jersey City could replace midtown Manhattan completely for NJ people, just as it’s replaced much of the Wall St. district quite well !!
Carl Z

Oh, and those without EZ passes? They’re out-of-towners, so charge them DOUBLE! (Now there’s the New York Way for ya.)
Carl Z

Just put an EZ Pass reader over every intersection in New York City and charge by the block. Or just mail in every penny you have anywhere. Note that the richest people, who live below 60th St, will have to pay very little.
GorillaRapper

Just tear down the frigging bridge, would save a whole lot of trouble and keep everyone in their place

wellfed

Got to pay for those goverment workers pensions

TomS

What has NYC been doing with the money they already get? They waste what they get in the first place. Idea: get rid of “progressives.”

Bob

NYC spends money on “warming buses”. These are buses the City leaves idling in the streets of Manhattan (not the outer boroughs) on cold, winter days, so people can come aboard for free, sit for a while and warm up. Now if that’s not a good use of your hard-earned money, I don’t know what is.

steve

He didn’t know about traffic then and certainly is clueless as to hurting the working middle class now. Say Good bye Sam.

mmercier

Anyone stupid enough to stay in town should be forced to pay through the nose for every privilege their God of government grants them.

All taxes and fees will be suspended the day after some crazyass persian detonates his nuclear device.

Chris

Sam is not intelligent. Mike should dump a billion if he really cares. no no . . .ok Mikey, how about 100 million / . lol .. .nono ur right make us pay for it .. its ok I play for the Yankees, but my whole family doesn’t . . .It cost 60 $ to park in Midtown, 80 for gas, 12 dollars to get into Manhattan already, .. . I mean, if i start roasting Rats .. im still out 150 before i hunt em down !! . .. Traffic will equal crime and stress, time increased on roads during rush hr .. .now , ill pay tolls for a NEW BRIDGE OR TUNNEL, not the old one .. you might as well charge us to walk in the park . .. and I know u would consider that . . .lol
Al M.

Why not just install devices that would grab each person as they cross into Manhattan by the ankles, turn them upside down and shake them vigorously until all their money falls out of their pockets?

Zexufang

Very apt – - and cartoonish… and funny.
joe

PERFECT! (except they already do that to us in the supermarkets….)

Michael P.

What are they Nuckin Futs? It’s heavily congested now. Imagine the traffic nightmare that would cause.
Ben

Get rid of all taxis. everyone will then take mta if they have no cars. No access to mta, we have 2 feet.
Rugbyball

What if all I want to do is get to NJ or CT, why is it I pay tolls for that, I have no need or want to drive into Manhattan. I should get a refund for burning that much gas stuck in gridlock in Manhattan when all I want to do is get out of it!
Ugh, I give up… this city is F’kd.
david

terrible idea. there is SOOOOOOOOOOOO MUCH WASTE in the MTA… more $ is the last thing they need…
Soap

Swim across !
Larry Schwarz

As a friend of mine from Utah put it when visiting New York.She had never seen so many tolls and could not afford to drive in NYC.

The Realist

NORMAL people don’t drive to and within the Manhattan core. NORMAL people ride buses and trains.

lc

why doesn’t gridlock sam mind his business instead of ours.
Junior

Dumb idea. Already gridlock coming into the city from the East Side without having to stop to pay tollls, and more people will go North above 60th. St. to bypass the tolls creating more traffic. Funny how they always say they want to save the environment but having more cas idling while sitting is OK to colect more money from us. The other funny part is to funnel more money into the MTA, yeah, lets give them access to more money to steal. So if there is more money coming in,does that mean they wil cut rate son other bridges and tunnels and mass transit???? LOL!

The Realist

The tolling would be ELECTRONIC, just as it is in London, Singapore, and Milan. No booths, no stopping, no idling. But you already knew that, right?

SerfCityHereWeCome

BRILLIANT idea– close to 100% of would-be-turned-FORMER tourists from out-of-town DON’T have EZPass. But you already knew that, right?

RJ

EZPass is compatible with any number of other states automatic tolling solutions, like the Illinois IPass, other states IZoom, etc. They’re making it easier to go from state to state. But you already knew that, right?

SerfCityHereWeCome

Only as far west as Felonois and only as far south as Virginia…but you already knew that, right?

me

takes more of me money
Dave

The boro bridges are a extension of the street system of ny city, just because it crosses a river, you want to tax boro residents. Why don’t you put a toll booth to cross from east to west in manhattan? Why do you only want to tax those that live in the boro’s?

Rugbyball

Dave, Bloomy was going to do just that, however it was congestive driving it was called, a camera would catch your plates and if you where between XX & XX street (forget the street range) between certain hours you would be charged a fee via EZPass, Don’t worry this mayor and his cronies think of new ways to get your money. It’s becoming too expensive to live here, most middle class folks in NYC are now hitting the AMT ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alternative_Minimum_Tax ) because the Fed avg the income across the country and we NYC folks need to make more to just live here we are double punished!
porcorosso

Because you will vote for us with your last starving strength.
RickM

You’re getting there Dave. EPA wants to regulate CO2 (what you exhale with every breath — soon they will tax what you inhale … hold your breath … it’s coming unless we stop them.
Larry Schwarz

Well said Dave.Next they will want to charge people for crossing the street
Rod Anders

The boro bridges are a extension of the street system … Good Idea. Get the boros residents going in and out.
RiverdaleBob

Put tolls on the subway tunnels too! Toll the commuter trains! Tax every airplane that flies over NYC! Tax every ship that sails up and down the Hudson! Make the obese pay for 2 seats! Charge admission to NYC Parks! There’s plenty more money out there you can bleed the populace out of!!
John Malverne

Here’s a better question: Why are upstate NY taxes subsizing NYC’s subway system?

If you had to pay what it actually costs, a subway ride would be $16 to anywhere.

The Transit Authority is a retirement plan for D students. Oh, and it has some trains.
Jack Kinch(1uncle)

Any excuse to tax to spend is alright for the demos. Money is needed to buy more votes. Lower taxes .
Stop paying people to have deadbeats on welfare and NO more aliens. Get rid of illegals. Punish if they return.
michael

The real problem is the pension contracts with the MTA unions. How can a system sustain itself when you allow workers to retire at age 48 with high 5 figure($60K and up) pensions and cadillac medical coverage. You not only have to pay the pension for 30-40 years, but also pay the wages and benefits of the replacement. It is impossible to sustain and the politicians who try to fix the problem by taxing the people should be voted out of office.
MikeHenrySC

“Share the road” share the taxes!

John

Oh please the working class my foot!…The working class takes public transport, they can’t afford the massive gas guzzling SUVs that ferry the rich to and fro from the Hamptons, not to mention the bankers who live in the ‘burbs. I am sick and tired like so many New Yorkers with these massive obscenities of vehicles polluting the city air not to mention the congested traffic and parking. You want to come to Manhattan? Take a bus or subway or pay the tolls like people crossing the Hudson.
So enough about the working class…I’m one of them and I don’t own a car. You want to drive then go to California.

Rugbyball

@John, what if I just want to take my Toyota Prius Hybrid to NJ or CT? Why do I have to pay a toll to get into Manhattan from Queens? Manhattan is the only direct and least mileage way to NJ. My other options is to go up through Bronx to Rockland County and then all the way down to if I wanted to visit family in Clifton. So dont assume the toll only hits the rich who drive to Manhattan as part of there daily commute, it hits everyone who needs to travel at any time.
Rod Anders

Gas in CA is $8 a gallon. You wouldn’t be driving here, either.

diver

Gridlock Sam’s idea will create just that GRIDLOCK. Not to mention this will also create so much air pollution it will put us in violation of the federal clean air regulations.

Bullett

Excellent view points.

sammy

Another brilliant idea to rape the working class

1 2 3 … 8 Next »

News

New East River Bridges Toll Proposal Goes After Everyone, Including Bicyclists

50 Cents For Bikes, More Surcharges On Cabs Part Of 'Gridlock Sam' Plan

March 23, 2012 8:14 PM

Filed under

Related tags

Check These Out

Latest News Video

Wax Or Real?

New Update Available

‘World War Z’ Premiere

Local Mug Shots

Select a Live Stream

News, Sports and Talk Radio

Music Radio