BROOKLYN BP MARTY MARKOWITZ BLASTS EAST RIVER TOLLS; CALLS FOR REINSTATEMENT OF COMMUTER TAX; DEMANDS THAT ANY GAS TAX INCREASE BE USED TO FUND PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION

“First of all, as I have always maintained, East River tolls are discriminatory, impractical, and impose an unfair ‘tax’ on the outer boroughs—especially Brooklyn.

Three of the four un-tolled bridges—the Brooklyn, Manhattan and Williamsburg—are in Brooklyn, and because some parts of our borough have limited or no access to mass transit, drivers, including those who use their vehicles for small businesses, have no choice but to use these spans. Additionally, even with advances in E-ZPass technology, tolls will create even worse traffic backups for communities such as Downtown Brooklyn, Williamsburg, DUMBO, and the ‘Brownstone Belt’ of Carroll Gardens, Cobble Hill, Brooklyn Heights and Boerum Hill, which already suffer.

It is, of course, imperative to find ways to close the City’s growing budget gap in these tough economic times—but placing the burden unfairly on the backs of hard-working Brooklynites is not one of them.

Let’s do it the right way, and bring back a commuter tax, with proceeds to fund mass transit projects in the five boroughs. And, regarding any possible gas tax at the state level, I have long believed that a modest gas tax used to fund public transit by region would be a much more equitable funding strategy than tolls. If Governor Paterson is indeed considering increasing the state’s gas tax, this increase should be used to fund public transit—period!

Scrap the tolls. Dedicate the tax. And let’s keep the wheels of New York City’s economy turning.”