Politics & Government

City to Commuters: Get Fit or Go Broke!

Toll to Manhattan could increase 90 percent.

Driving a car or taking public transportation soon may deliver a suckerpunch to rent as the highest cost to live in New York City, while biking and walking may become the only affordable (if not, healthy) option.

Only two weeks ago, on all metrocards, on top of the already steep fare. Now, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey is proposing to increase the cash toll to enter Manhattan by almost 90 percent, the agency announced Friday.

It seems the City is telling us to get fit quick, or get ready to go broke.

Find out what's happening in Forest Hillswith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Under the bi-state agency proposal, beginning in September, the cost of entering Manhattan via the Hudson River at the Holland Tunnel, Lincoln Tunnel and George Washington Bridge would increase from $8 to $15 for cash-paying customers. EZPass commuters would pay $12 per trip, increasing to $14 in 2014.

The proposed increases would also affect the Goethals, Outerbridge and Bayonne bridges between New Jersey and Staten Island.

Find out what's happening in Forest Hillswith free, real-time updates from Patch.

But wait, that’s not all: The base fare on the New Jersey-Manhattan PATH trains will jump from $1.75 to $2.75, with the average discounted fare increasing from $1.30 to $2. The unlimited monthly pass will jump from $54 to $89.

The Port Authority defended the proposed increases in a press release stating the agency had no choice, as they have faced three unprecedented challenges at once: 1. An economic recession that has sharply decreased revenue below projections; 2. Steep increases in post-9/11 security costs and the overall cost of rebuilding the World Trade Center; and 3. The need to overhaul facilities within the 90-year-old agency.

The two-phase toll and fare increase is part of a new $33 billion ten-year capital plan—one they say will generate 167,000 jobs, $38.4 billion in sales and $9.7 billion in wages within the 17-county New York-New Jersey Port District

The PA Board of Commissioners will hold a series of nine public hearings, and then vote on the proposal by August 19.


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