Updated 09/17/2008 11:39 AM
MTA, City Spar Over Paying Tolls
To view our videos, you need to
enable JavaScript. Learn how.
install Adobe Flash 9 or above. Install now.
Then come back here and refresh the page.
A toll battle is brewing between the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and the city, as the agency wants first responders to pay up when crossing bridges and tunnels.
The MTA is set to vote next Wednesday on a resolution requiring all city departments to pay tolls while on official duty. The agency expects to take in as much as $10 million a year by ending the free E-ZPass program for city vehicles.
The NYPD and FDNY have around 11,000 free E-ZPass tags.
If the measure is adopted, city agencies would need to have a pre-funded account to allow for uninterrupted service.
The MTA has already taken steps to eliminate free E-ZPass use by its own board members, as it struggles to deal with declining tax revenues.
A spokesman for the mayor accuses the MTA of trying to squeeze money from the city by charging the city to respond to emergencies.
The MTA says it's wrong to conclude that a fire truck would get hung up at a toll booth on the way to a call. A spokesman says the MTA always has and always will expedite the passage of emergency vehicles responding to emergencies.