Gentile says Brooklyn Bridge toll plan is DOA
A proposal being put forth by a former city traffic commissioner to put tolls on the Brooklyn Bridge and the other East River crossings is getting a Bronx cheer from the man who will soon be the City Council’s most senior member.
Councilman Vincent Gentile (D-Bay Ridge-Dyker Heights-Bensonhurst) blasted the proposal from Samuel Schwartz to introduce a tiered system of tolls that would install levies on bridges in heavily congested areas that have viable public transportation options and lower the tolls on bridges in areas where public transportation is poor.
Gentile, who was first elected to the council in 2003 and who will become the council member with the most seniority in January, said the proposal is nothing more than a revised version of Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s controversial 2008 congestion pricing plan.