| Issue 185 | August 14, 1998 |
In MTR #183 , we discussed East River bridge tolls at some length.
Below we present estimates of net revenues for a variety of toll scenarios
for New York City's free bridges to Manhattan. They were developed by Charles
Komanoff, an economist associated with the Tri-State Transportation Campaign,
and Jim Tripp of the Environmental Defense Fund as the MTA prepared to
raise transit fares in Autumn, 1995.
| Net Revenues from
Tolling East River Bridges |
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| OPTIONS | annual NYC revenue gain (millions) at $3.50 toll |
| East and Harlem River tolls at current MTA Bridges & Tunnels rate ¾ no new discounts. |
$770 |
| 50% discount for Harlem River bridges |
$575 |
| 50% discount for off-peak crossings (but eliminate TBTA EZ-Pass, bulk, resident and carpool discounts) |
$670 |
| Both discounts above (but eliminate TBTA EZ-Pass, bulk, resident and carpool discounts) |
$500 |
| Figures reflect estimated
$50 million cost to City to administer, operate and amortize NYC toll facilities.
The MTA would also gain revenue (NYC DOT estimated $90 million net per year in 1991) due to reduced diversion to tolled City bridges, but the gain would be lessened somewhat in off-peak discount scenarios. Figures may be understated, since trucks are treated same as cars. Calculated from baseline data in NYC Department of Transportation, Funding the Capital and Operating Needs of New York City's Bridges and Streets, Oct. 1991. |
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