THE BELL ‘TOLLS’
Bridge booths out
Toll gates at the Big Apple’s bridges and tunnels will disappear next year as a cashless system is rolled out, Gov. Cuomo announced Wednesday.
The new system will start in January at the QueensMidtown and Hugh Carey tunnels.
In the spring, the system will appear at the Rockaway Bridges, then at the RFK and Verrazano bridges in the summer. In the fall, the Throgs Neck and BronxWhitestone bridges will get them.
The system will collect money from drivers using E-ZPass. Those without E-ZPass will have their license plates recorded and receive a bill within 30 days. They will have 30 days to pay.
All license plates will be scanned and scofflaws will be ticketed immediately. Toll collectors will be reassigned to work with State Police in enforcing the ticketing.
“Today’s development is strong and long overdue,” Cuomo said of the effort to speed up traffic and boost security.
“Why are you still pulling up to a tollbooth, stopping the car, handing your money to a person who puts it in a drawer, makes change and hands it back to you?
“You’re going into a subway with a MetroCard. You’re going into an ATM and you’re taking out cash by swiping your card. Why are we still stopping at tollbooths? It’s just an outdated methodology of collecting money.”
At the press conference, officials showed a 30-second ad starring John Leguizamo driving a 1968 Pontiac GTO — belonging to Cuomo — in which the actor urges New Yorkers to get an E-ZPass.
The governor touted the system as faster and said the system would save the average driver 21 hours a year on the road, reduce emissions, and conserve about a million gallons of gas a year.
“It’s going to make a major difference in people’s lives. This is not abstract,” Cuomo said.
A pilot program called Tolls by Mail was launched at the Henry Hudson Bridge in November 2012, allowing drivers to pass through any lane without stopping.
The MTA overhaul is costing $27 billion.
Part of the money will be spent beautifying bridges and tunnels with colorful LED displays and sprucing up decrepit plaza areas.