Thruway Grinch raising tolls on low-income New Yorkers
The Thruway Grinch is back this holiday season and he’s brought a lump of coal for thousands of lowincome New Yorkers in the form of higher tolls and fees
These past nine months during this pandemic have been difficult for all New Yorkers, especially for seniors on fixed incomes and low-income working people who are struggling to make ends meet and pay their bills.
This week, the New York State Thruway Authority Board of Directors threw salt into the wounds of low-income New Yorkers by voting to increase tolls by a whopping 30 percent for non-E-Z Pass users and making them pay a new $2 per use billing surcharge for
getting a bill in the mail under the cashless toll system that’s begun implementation on the New York State Thruway.
Under the Thruway Authority’s regulations, E-Z Pass users must keep their account current with a credit card, electronic debit through a bank account, or put a $10 deposit down for a tag and constantly maintain a positive cash balance on the account.
While that system may work for some people, the problem for low-income New Yorkers is that many are struggling to make ends meetanddonothaveacredit card or a bank account with sufficient funds and credit or the ability to write a check or pay cash far in advance to keep their E-ZPass account positive with cash.
This 30 percent toll hike and $2 per use billing surcharge makes it more expensive for low-income New Yorkers to travel for medical appointments like dialysis or to have additional money to pay for groceries and other necessities.
Meanwhile, as the Governor’s Thruway Authority raises tolls on working people and those on fixed incomes, he has hired four political operatives to his staff at a cost of $567,000 despite a state hiring freeze due to the $14 billion budget deficit. Given such disrespect toward taxpayers by our state’s leaders, it’s no wonder 180,000 people last year and over one million people in the past decade hit the road on a oneway trip to escape from New York to a more taxpayer-friendly state.
I am introducing new legislation, the “Thruway Toll Equality Act,” that will waive any toll increase, fee or surcharge for low-income New York State motorists, based on the Federal Poverty Level guidelines.
While my new legislation doesn’t eliminate tolls (though I would like to do that), it will roll-back this 30 percent increase on Thruway tolls and $2 per use billing surcharge for New Yorkers living below the federal poverty line who don’t use E-Z Pass.
Under my bill, low-income New Yorkers would not be forced to obtain an E-Zpass and would be billed when they hit the $30 mark for toll usage or annually (whichever comes first) at the same rate as E-ZPass users and not face the mandated $2 per use monthly billing surcharge.
Remember, even if my bill passes, those below the poverty line and everyone else will continue to pay tolls (which we were promised was going to be eliminated at the end of the 1990s), but it defies logic that the Thruway Authority would argue that the only way to pay for the system is to necessitate a 30 percent toll increase and $2 per use bill surcharge on the backs of those who live below the poverty line.
During the economic challenges already caused by COVID-19, this is no time to add more costs to those that can least afford it! No Emmy Award for the Governor and Thruway Authority for this one. But a Bronx cheer would be more appropriate!