Pols Urge Discount for Verrazano

By LORENA RAMIREZ

Elected officials on Tuesday renewed their calls for a proposal that would offer a 58 percent discount for those who travel over the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge more than three times a month.

“It was one year ago that we gathered here for our proposal to bring a real toll relief for the resident of Brooklyn and it’s only fair that we do that,” said State Sen. Martin Golden.

In March the monthly cash price to cross the bridge five times a week would be $320 and the EZ-Pass price would be $211. With the $30 million proposal in place, the discount monthly cost would be $134, which would “a tremendous savings to each one of the family members who live here on this side of Brooklyn,” said Golden.

A similar proposal passed in 2012 when Port Authority created a bridge discount program, providing Brooklyn residents who travel three times or more a month over the Goethals Bridge, Outerbridge Crossing, and the Bayonne Bridge with a 58 percent discount.

“That’s the same thing we want the MTA to do for all our residents of Brooklyn and Staten Island,” said Assemblywoman Nicole Malliotakis, who joined Golden along with Assemblyman Alec Brook-Krasny.

“I believe the senate will have this in their budget again this year and continue to push for real toll relief for Brooklyn residents,” said Golden, who mentioned that last year they had success in the State Senate getting it into the one house budget, but lost to a negotiation with the assembly and the governor.

These elected officials are collecting signatures for their petition at, www.thetollsaretoodamnhigh.com