SIers Rally Against Rumored Verrazano Toll Increase
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Residents on Staten Island rallied Saturday against a proposal to raise the toll on the Verrazano Bridge by $2 next year.
Rep. Michael Grimm led the rally in Fort Wadsworth.
Sources tell NY1 that the MTA may increase cash tolls on bridges and tunnels by 15 percent to raise revenue.
That would raise the toll on the Verrazano Bridge from $13 to $15 for anyone paying cash and not EZPass.
"The straw that broke the camel's back already happened," Grimm said. "There is no back to break. We are broken as a community from these tolls and we're not going to lie down anymore. We'll do whatever we have to do to make sure the MTA does not ruin this community any further."
The MTA has not released any official proposals about toll hikes.
MTA officials we spoke with would not comment on whether there will be any.
Grimm, though, is proposing legislation that would disqualify the MTA and Port Authority for federal funds unless they guaranteed tolls would not rise by more than 10 percent over five years.