By increasing the commuter toll from $1 to $2.50 during peak hours, Anzevino pointed out, the Thruway Authority would encourage commuters to travel at off-peak hours, carpool, use express buses, or take transit. A Thruway study has in fact shown that a modest price differential could reduce peak period traffic by around around 9 percent.

"...by providing discounts to commuters, the Thruway Authority actually rewards drivers for crossing when the bridge is most congested," Anzevino wrote.

Recently, other Hudson Valley groups and municipalities joined Environmental Defense and the Tri-State Campaign to urge the Thruway to adopt road pricing as part of a near-term congestion relief package for the Tappan Zee Bridge (MTR #312).

"In what has seemed like a foregone decision to build a replacement bridge, the Thruway Authority has gotten ahead of itself," said David Gordon, attorney for Riverkeeper at an April press event. "From a public policy standpoint, the obvious first step is to see how congestion pricing and other demand-side strategies work to ease traffic problems along the I-87/287 corridor."