n*********e
发帖数: 25274 | 1 每天都要去纽约上班的是没办法逃了，很杯具。。。
Steep Increases Proposed for PATH Fares and Tolls at Hudson Crossings
By MICHAEL M. GRYNBAUM
Published: August 5, 2011
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey proposed its steepest toll
increase in modern memory on Friday, unveiling a plan that would raise the
cost of crossing the tunnels and bridges that span the Hudson River by 50
percent for most drivers and raise the price of a monthly PATH train pass by
65 percent.
TollsE-ZPass users would see a jump from $8 to $12 at peak hours on the
three major Hudson River crossings — the George Washington Bridge and the
Holland and Lincoln Tunnels — as well as three other bridges between New
Jersey and Staten Island. Drivers who pay with cash would be charged $7 more
, or $15 a trip, making the toll one of the highest in the country.
The provenance of the larger-than-expected proposed increases was mysterious
. The two men who control the agency, Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey and
Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo of New York, issued a statement saying they shared “
obvious and significant concerns” about the proposal.
But privately, the Cuomo administration signed off on the plan within the
past week, according to two sources familiar with internal discussions who
spoke on the condition of anonymity to avoid angering administration
officials. The agency had been planning for months to impose a $2 toll
increase. The $4 proposal caught agency officials off guard.
Asked whether Governor Cuomo had pushed for the $4 increase, a spokesman,
Josh Vlasto, responded, “That’s not true.” But he would not elaborate on
the discussions or the governor’s view of the proposal.
“There is nothing more to say,” Mr. Vlasto said.
Of course, governors often like to step in and halt unpopular increases and
fees, and proposals to raise Port Authority tolls tend to start a familiar
political dance: the agency puts forward a bracing plan, the public reacts
angrily, and governors relish the role of advocate for the overburdened
commuter. Usually, a more reasonable compromise is reached.
A public hearing on the proposal is expected to be held on Aug. 16, and the
Port Authority’s board of commissioners will consider the new tolls and
fares at a meeting this month.
If the board votes for the plan, both governors would have 10 days during
which they could veto the increases.
The board and the Port Authority’s top administrative staff members are
entirely selected by the two governors, and few decisions at the agency,
which controls many of the region’s bridges, tunnels, shipping ports and
airports, are made without some form of consultation with Albany and Trenton
.
The Port Authority, which receives all of its revenue through tolls and fees
, has seen its budget wither from the poor economy, which has reduced the
number of drivers on its crossings, and the siphoning off of funds for
nonagency projects.
After Governor Christie decided last year to end an ambitious plan for
another train tunnel under the Hudson because of its cost, he successfully
pushed the agency to redistribute $1.8 billion of the money it had earmarked
for the project instead to be used for road and highway repairs in New
Jersey.
Some regional transportation advocates endorsed the toll increases on Friday
, saying the additional revenue was sorely needed for major infrastructure
projects. But critics said drivers and PATH riders would not be asked to
make such large sacrifices if the agency’s budget had not been raided.
“This increase is not surprising given the financial pressure” put on the
agency, said Kate Slevin, executive director of the Tri-State Transportation
Campaign. And some New Jersey politicians said the big increases were a way
for Mr. Christie, who has sworn off tax increases, to squeeze revenue from
the commuting public.
“If you say you’re not going to raise taxes on anybody to fund
transportation, it’s disingenuous to take money from the Port Authority and
have them raise tolls, and act as if you’re not responsible,” said
Assemblyman John S. Wisniewski, Democratic chairman of the State Assembly’s
transportation committee. The toll increase, he said, “is Chris Christie’
s toll increase.”
Under the proposal, a single fare on the PATH train, the diminutive commuter
subway system that connects parts of Manhattan to New Jersey, would be
raised $1, to $2.75 a ride.
The price of a 30-day unlimited pass for the PATH system would be raised by
65 percent, to $89 from $54 a month.
The proposal calls for the crossing tolls to be raised again in 2014, with
an increase of $2 for drivers. The PATH fare would not be raised again in
2014, under the current proposal.
Revenue from this year’s increases would generate an additional $720
million for the agency. The second phase of increases, in 2014, would raise
$290 million. | d**********r
发帖数: 24123 | | i******t
发帖数: 11048 | 3 胖州长
你能咋样？
和他们比吃饭
谁吃得多谁说了算
【在 d**********r 的大作中提到】
: 狗日的工会。大伙儿看我的。
| c*****n
发帖数: 2433 | |
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