Bronx Borough President Fernando Ferrer made strong statements in favor of rail freight development to reduce truck impacts in the city, and called for Second Avenue subway construction.

The Borough President's position on Verrazano Bridge tolls is evolving. Where previously Ferrer had called for removal of the tolls (MTR #'s 306, 305), last week he said that Staten Islanders' E-Z Passes should be adjusted so that they paid no tolls on the bridge. Out-of-borough drivers would still pay.

This proposal did not seem to satisfy audience members interested in the question, who are mainly concerned with the heavy NJ-based truck and other traffic that one-way Verrazano tolls attract to the Gowanus/lower Manhattan corridor. Ferrer's plan would provide no relief for that problem.

The Borough President based his no-tolls-for-Staten Islanders position on the premise that it is unfair that "Staten Islanders can't get off the Island without paying." However, Staten Islanders enjoy the only major fare-free public transit service in NYC. The Staten Island Ferry accounts for over one quarter of daily trips from S.I. to other NYC boroughs. More importantly, most people traveling within the city are not driving. They use subways and buses, for which they pay fares.

Responding to a question about how to improve pedestrian safety in the city, City Council Speaker Peter Vallone, said that "if the city can't get the job done, I'm open to what outside experts may have to offer."

Public Advocate Mark Green indicated that he had met recently with the Gowanus Expressway Community Coalition. While he said that technical information was not yet available to allow him to fully endorse proposals to sink the Gowanus Expressway into a tunnel, Green said he "loved the idea" that removing the elevated highway would reconnect neighborhoods and free up valuable urban land. Green also acknowledged the importance of reducing truck impacts in city communities, and pledged to go beyond the city's current "interim" waste export plan to develop a rail- and barge-based system.

City Comptroller Alan Hevesi acknowledged the debate over the fate of the Gowanus Expressway. He also endorsed implementation of what he called the "Jerry Nadler plan" for Brooklyn container port development supported by a cross-harbor rail freight tunnel. Hevesi specifically discussed a Staten Island-Brooklyn rail tunnel, which would connect to mainland rail lines via S.I.'s north shore and the Arthur Kill lift bridge.