MTA Wants Toll Money from NYPD, FDNY

As the MTA looks for any possible source of revenue, it has made a bold suggestion: The agency wants city departments to pay tolls over MTA bridge and tunnel crossings. As WCBS 2 puts it, that includes "firefighters and police responding to emergencies or calls to service." Currently, those city departments are using about 11,000 free E-ZPass tags, so if the MTA gets its way, then the city would need to pay for the approximate 300,000 crossings each year. (The MTA also emphasizes it wouldn't stop responders heading to a scene.) A spokesman for Mayor Bloomberg called it "an underhanded attempt to increase the city's already large subsidy of the MTA by charging the city for responding to emergencies or performing other essential services." Uh, the city's subsidy to the MTA hasn't really changed since 1990, according to the IBO.

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By Jen Chung in News on September 17, 2008 9:31 AM

Comments [rss]

NannyState

This really does show just how devious the MTA is.

JMH

The MTA is right that the city isn't funding it adequately, but I don't think this is the right way to go about addressing it.

books

the subway belongs to the city. It exists on city land. Its has special priviliges that no private business would have. the city should take it over immediately. fire all the executives. implement conductor less trains and reassign the remaining token booth clerks.

WorksInDUMBO

Obviously they are not going to stop AMBULANCES and other emergency vehicles when they need to get through. But I don't see why off-duty police/fire dept. personnel should get free EZ-Passes.

Brooklynbobby

"Charging handicap people to use the elevators"

You can't charge these people because the elevators (and the escalators) are never working.

jackdonaghy

How about having the high ranking members of the MTA pay first? I don't believe emergency workers should have to pay.

It's also time to move the MTA to under the Mayor's jurisdiciton. It's a public service that effects the citizens of this city. The Mayor's office should have control. Enough of this quasi-private incompetence.

Jerk Store

Other revenue ideas the MTA is kicking around:

-- Making pregnant women pay for 2 fares

-- Charging handicap people to use the elevators

-- Sending MTA employees through the trains with a money cup

Rob T Firefly

So how about this:
1. Give the MTA some mo' money.
2. Fire everyone at the MTA who can't balance a checkbook

That would leave you with a pile of mo' money sitting in an empty office.

ronraygun

Here's a great article about the lengths MTA execs will go to justify their salaries and raises:

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/2008/06/23/2008-06-23_mta_boss_raise_stops_hikes.html

"This is an issue that I was focused on from the time this job was offered to me," he said. "Over the past year and a half, there has never been a good time. Basically, we've been in constant discussion about fares and tolls over that period."

PeeDeeQ

Time to disband the MTA methinks.

No, its not time to disband the MTA.

yes, it's time to shut down the MTA

:^D

sharpshoota

yes, it's time to shut down the MTA

ides_of_march

Time to disband the MTA methinks.

ianmac47

So how about this:

1. Give the MTA some mo' money.

2. Fire everyone at the MTA who can't balance a checkbook

lanciano

this is crap. i'm sure there are other ways for the MTA to cut costs than forcing emergency vehicles to deal with tolls.

sure they say that they "won't stop vehicles heading to a scene", but everyone knows that these MTA workers (toll operators are as useless as subway workers) can't find their ass with two hands and they wouldn't do much to expedite the passing of PD/EMS/FDNY no matter how loud their sirens were blaring.

i would be fuming PISSED if a loved one died the help got tangled up in toll traffic.