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"They are dividing a borough that is absolutely integrated," said Queens resident Geraldine Chapey. "It's really terrible."

Fired up and ready to fight, some Rockaway and Broad Channel residents say they will not stand for the MTA's plan to start charging them to use the Cross Bay Bridge. Imagine having to pay to go to another neighborhood in your borough, right within your community board.

"This bridge represents the same as putting a toll in the middle of Queens Boulevard in order to go from one side to the other," said Assemblywoman Audrey Pheffer.

For the past 10 years, the MTA has given local residents with E-ZPass a free pass to cross the bridge, all they have to do is pay $1.03, instead of the full $2.50 toll; the MTA then gives them a full refund. Now the MTA wants to do away with that rebate, which the MTA says costs the agency about $3.6 million a year.

Residents would still get the discounted rate of $1.03; however, many want the toll to be done away with completely.

"The MTA owes this to us. They don't give us great subway service. It's a horrible commute into Manhattan. The least they can do it give us this subsidy and start looking at getting rid of the tolls completely," said Community Board 14 representative Jonathan Gaska.

Borough President Helen Marshall says eliminating the rebate will hurt Queens economically.

"We have been pushing to buy Queens when you shop...shop in Queens. Well if it's going to cost the citizens of the Rockaways to go across a bridge they are going to be much more tempted to go into Nassau County.

To fight the plan, some residents and local leaders are planning a number of protests against the proposal and a few say they are willing to go to extreme lengths to get their point across.

"I was very proud to have led the fight in the 1980s and 1990s and got arrested to get rid of this Cross Bay Bridge toll and I'm not going to stop until we get rid of this toll and I'm still again willing to get arrested to get rid of this toll," said Lew Simon, Democratic district leader.

The MTA issued a statement saying, "The MTA had to include many painful proposals that we hope not to have to implement."

These changes will be implemented if the state allows the MTA to put new tolls on other bridges in the city.