De Facto Secession
Or at least involuntary isolation:
Posted: December 23rd, 2008 | Filed under: Consumer Issues, Staten Island, Things That Make You Go "Oy"When the cash toll at the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge rose from $9 to $10 last March, many Staten Island drivers thought they had seen it all.
But the sticker shock of the sawbuck pales in comparison to a toll hike as high as — get this — $14.
That’s how much the round-trip toll could conceivably cost as part of the MTA’s proposed package of fare and toll hikes.
The authority outlined a variety of options yesterday meant to achieve a projected revenue increase of up to 23 percent, to plug a $1.2 billion budget gap.
Nothing is set in stone; rather, the proposed changes, including a $6.25 express bus fare, a $2.50 or $3 local bus or subway fare and severe service cuts, reflect the outside threshold of pain.
Of the $14 toll threat, MTA spokesman Jeremy Soffin said, “Is it a possibility? It’s there, but it’s in the upper range. I don’t know where we’ll be in the end.”