New York – A federal court is hearing a case that could affect a discount that Staten Island residents receive for crossing the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, a report in the Staten Island Advance said.
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The court is hearing a case claiming that toll discounts for residents in Grand Island, N.Y., near Buffalo, are unconstitutional and discriminatory against other New Yorkers, and a decision would affect all New Yorkers and potentially residents of other states, Rep. Michael McMahon (D-NY) told the Advance.
Staten Island residents currently pay $5.48 with E-ZPass and $2.56 with a carpool, while the cash toll for non-residents is $11 and $9.14 with EZ-Pass.
i would like to see ad sponsored tolls, instead of paying a toll, we agree to watch a 15 second ad as we breeze through the toll booth!
Good now the court is alienating us in our fight against the rising of the tolls to unacceptable numbers. FACT: they make much more money from the bridge then it costs to upkeep the bridge with it’s authorities. excess money goes to other projects too.
Good, if we get such a ruling maybe then S. I. residents will make such a tumult that they will be forced to lower the toll for all.
#2 is correct in that the bridge does make far more money than it costs to maintain. The Delaware Memorial Bridge costs $3.00 per car, and the Walt Whitman Bridge costs $4.00 per car. Both of those are suspension bridges of approximately the same vintage as the Verrazano Bridge (coincidentally all three bridges were designed by the same engineer), and allowing a bit extra for the length and being in NYC, the “fair market” toll rate to keep the Verrazano maintained is probably not more than $5.00 (my guess is closer to $4.00, as I’m sure the bridges in Philly are subsidizing their subway and commuter trains).
As to #1 , I hope you’re joking. The average rate for servicing cars at a single toll booth is 350 cars per hour, or just over 10.2 seconds per booth. Even assuming such narrishkeit was possible, you’d cut the toll booth throughput to 240 cars per hour at 15 seconds per. That’s almost a 33% reduction…..
We don’t set tolls at bridges based on cost of maintaining the bridge. The toll is based on the need to raise revenues for related transportation purposes. Those who live on Staten Island have been subsidized for years by the rest of us for living in a quasi rural setting. That time is over. Get ready to pay your fair share. The discounts will end and properly so.
As soon as they connect Staten Island to the rest of the NYC subway system and provide additional subway lines throughout its neighborhoods, it may make sense to keep the toll even with the rest of the City. Same issue for the Marine Park & Bay Bridge tolls. Beaches and parking lots charging different rates for locals. How about residential parking preferences in beach areas?
The case will lose!
All toll bridges in NYC have been paid off for years and the tolls go to subsidize the MTA. I can not imagine if SI people had to pay $11.00 every time they leave
Another nutty court case. Are we going to next challenge local parking permits and all state resident discounts at attractions? Are we going to challenge all handicap privileges as discriminatory? If people have different needs and different services based on those needs its not discrimination. Local residents who must cross a bridge whenever they leave home should of course pay less PER USE than others pay. Any other arrangement would be discriminatory. Do Brooklyn, Bronx and Queens residents need to pay an additional 11 bucks each time they go into Manhattan? Maybe the residents of Grand Island should counter sue to totally remove this extra tax on their homes!
The borough should add its own toll on the roads leading to the bridge. Offer free passage for residents and an additional $5 for each non-resident. Then give the money collected back to the residents in a tax-credit. That should solve the problem.
What nonsense, so i’m gonna sue all public places that charge a fare, because they let in the workers for free while the public has to pay. Yes a resident of a place is deserving of easier access to his house
If you don’t live on the island and it doesn’t affect your budget, you don’t know. The other areas are not subsidizing Staten Island and addressing the ferry not everyone works in Manhattan so thats a moot point. Its unfair period and a federal court upstate should have nothing to say about this at all, its a city and borough matter
period. If you’re a Staten island basher thats your issue but c’mon would you like it or think its fair.
If you don’t like it, Staten islanders, go back to the land of your ancestors:
Brooklyn!