Sep 16, 2008 8:57 pm US/Eastern
Proposal: MTA To Buy 2 NYC Bridges, Add Tolls
Controversial Plan Part Of Former City Transportation Commissioner's Idea To Raise Money For Mass Transit
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
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Under a controversial proposal, the Manhattan Bridge would be sold to the MTA for $1 and equipped with tolls to raise money for mass transit. (file)
© Dave Frieder, All Rights Reserved
There's a new plan to raise money for mass transit in New York City.
It's being called congestion pricing lite -- a proposal to put tolls on two of the East River crossings, while doing a two-step around Albany legislators.
Psst ... Want to buy a bridge?
No, it's not the Brooklyn Bridge that may be up for sale. But former City Transportation Commissioner Lucius Riccio says the Metropolitan Transportation Authority should buy two other East River crossings and put tolls on them.
"My proposal can be done right now," Riccio said. "It's a proposal that would not require legislative action."
Riccio said that under his plan the city could sell the MTA the Williamsburg and Manhattan bridges for a token $1 without approval from Albany. Once the tolls are up the agency could begin raking in the dough for mass transit.
"There's a couple hundred thousand vehicles that use those bridges every day," Riccio said. "That's $1 million a day, probably $300 million a year."
MTA Chairman Elliot Sander, a member of the so-called Ravitch Commission that is looking for ways to raise money for mass transit, said he would certainly look at Riccio's idea.
"The commission will be looking at those and we'll be proceeding, you know looking at them," Sander said.
However, Mayor Michael Bloomberg was less than thrilled with the idea.
"It's very impractical to toll only a couple of bridges. You create chaos if you have people trying to avoid the tolled bridges," Bloomberg said.
The proposal has received a mixed response, especially from Williamsburg residents who use the bridge to visit people in Manhattan hospitals.
"We cannot allow this to happen," Michael Warn said. "I'm telling you right now God does not want it to happen and I'm speaking because I understand how important this kindness is."
Added Christine Siegel: "I think it sounds like an excellent idea. It's about time mass transportation improved out here. It's only going to get worse."
"Ridiculous. Why? Because they're killing us with taxes," business owner Norman Goldfinger said.
"It's ridiculous. They should put tolls on people from New Jersey coming in to New York," James Anthony said.
Under the Riccio plan commuters would still have a choice of taking the Queensboro and the Brooklyn bridges, which would still have no tolls.
The commission is supposed to come up with a plan to raise money for mass transit by the end of the year.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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