MARCH 13TH, 2005
Tolls went up Sunday on the Metropolitan Transportation Authoritys nine bridges and tunnels.
On the Triborough, Whitestone and Throgs Neck bridges and the Queens-Midtown and Brooklyn-Battery tunnels, the toll went up 50 cents, to $4.50 for those paying cash and $4 for E-ZPass users.
Drivers crossing the Henry Hudson, Marine Parkway and Cross Bay bridges have to pay an extra quarter, for a total of $2.25 in cash. E-ZPass users will pay $1.75 on the Henry Hudson and $1.50 on the Cross Bay and Marine Parkway Bridges.
And the toll on the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge now costs an additional $1. Thats a whopping $9 in cash and $8 for E-ZPass.
The MTA says there may be some delays at the toll booths as drivers learn about the higher tolls. But drivers say they may never get used to the hike, the second in less than two years.
I think it's unnecessary, said a driver at the Queens-Midtown Tunnel. It's gone up already once before, not too long ago. No raise on the job, but raise on the tolls.
It's hurting the working man, thats who its affecting, another said. Deliveries and what not coming in and out of the city. I know they don't want that many cars in the city, but there's no excuse. Tolls were put in place to pay for making the bridges and tunnels, not to just run a large bureaucracy.
The toll hikes are the last round of increases made by the MTA to help it close future budget deficits. In the past few weeks, the prices of unlimited-ride MetroCards and express bus rides have gone up, along with ticket prices for Metro-North and the Long Island Rail Road.
What are we going to do about it? Nothing, said one driver. We're going to pay it, like we always do.
