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Read the press release here.

MTA Raises Tolls on Bridges and Tunnels

By DNAinfo Staff on October 27, 2010 11:51am

Transit driver Elias Velazquez, 45, is worried about how the cuts will affect his job.
Transit driver Elias Velazquez, 45, is worried about how the cuts will affect his job.
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DNAinfo/Jill Colvin

By Jill Colvin

DNAinfo Reporter/Producer

MIDTOWN — Straphangers aren't the only ones who will have to shell out more cash to commute in the new year.

The Metropolitan Transit Authority voted Wednesday to increase tolls on bridges and tunnels, following last month's unpopular hike in subway and bus fares, which drew outrage across the city.

"Our financial situation remains difficult and dire," MTA head Jay Walder said at a press conference after the board meeting, where the measure passed with one objection.

With this move, he said, fares and tolls should not rise again until 2013.

Under the new scheme, effective Dec. 30, cash tolls at the city’s major crossings, including the Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel and Queens-Midtown Tunnel will increase one dollar from $5.50 to $6.50. E-ZPass tolls on the same routes will increase less, from $4.57 to $4.80.

The MTA's board voted to approve an increase in bridge and tunnel tolls at a meeting Wednesday morning.
The MTA's board voted to approve an increase in bridge and tunnel tolls at a meeting Wednesday morning.
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DNAinfo/Jill Colvin

On the Henry Hudson Bridge, the toll will increase from $3.00 to $4.00 for cash-payers and $2.09 to $2.20 for E-ZPass fares.

The increase is expected to bring in $107 million is additional revenue a year.

The disparity between increases for cash and pass users was a point of contention for the board. At one point, it had considered raising only cash tolls to encourage a full transition to EZPasses because they speed up toll points, cut down on pollution and require fewer staffers.

But because of concerns that the move would increase the divide between those who can afford passes and those who can’t, the board decided instead on what  Walder described as "a thoughtful compromise."

Cash commuters currently comprise 25 percent of toll payers, according to the MTA.

Walder also acknowledged that the hike might force some people off the roads. But, he said, "I’m not sure it would be the worst thing in the world."

heWhile expected, the hike was nonetheless met with protest by drivers and some local leaders.

"If anyone out here really thinks the rent is too damn high, the tolls and fares are too damn high for people to afford!," Bronx City Councilman James Vacca said, echoing the chant of the Rent is 2 Dam High party gubernatorial candidate Jimmy McMillan.

West Village resident Casey Tuck, 30, said he is staunchly against the recent hikes.

"It’s terrible. It’s awful. It’s baffling that they would ever do that," he said.

Still, he said, if straphangers have to pay more, drivers should too.

"It should be across the board," he said.

Carlos Alvarez, 63, a cab driver for 30 years, said that his passengers will likely be frustrated by the higher fares.

Protesters denounced the recent slate of MTA cuts before Wednesday's board meeting.
Protesters denounced the recent slate of MTA cuts before Wednesday's board meeting.
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DNAinfo/Jill Colvin

"I don’t think they’re going to like it," he said.

Before the meeting began, dozens of union members gathered outside of the MTA headquarters for a frenzied protest against other cuts, including to the Access-a-Ride service for disabled and elderly New Yorkers.

Upper Manhattan City Councilman Ydanis Rodriguez also testified against the hike, telling the board that "this is not the best time, especially for the working class, middle class new Yorkers."

Following the meeting, Walder also defended the board, which in recent weeks has become a punching bag for candidates running for office.

"We have been open and transparent in a way that I think has been unprecedented," Walder said, adding that he believes the MTA has "continued to provide a very high quality service" despite recent repairs.