Election Year Bonus for Queens Drivers
We reported recently that Mayor Giuliani has called for elimination of the $1.75 Cross Bay Veterans Memorial Bridge toll. The Daily News now reports that Governor Pataki has told the MTA to eliminate the toll for Rockaway and Broad Channel residents, who now pay a discounted toll of 67 cents. The cut will result in an annual reduction of $1 million in revenue, according to the Mayor's office. The bridge is the only MTA crossing between points in the same borough. This has become central to the rhetoric of the toll-cut push, as if someone crossing from Queens to the Bronx, for instance, feels they have breached some profound boundary more appropriate for a toll. The issue arose as officials sought to add new fare- and toll-reduction elements to the elimination of NYC two-fare transit zones in July. The MTA board will formally take up the issue on Sept. 30.
