Common Sense: A tolling problem

Brooklyn residents deserve a break on the Verrazano Bridge toll. Staten Islanders have managed through solid efforts by their elected officials to get the toll for residents down to $5.50 round trip.

No one should begrudge Staten Island residents their success in getting another reduction in the toll they pay to cross the Verrazano Bridge. There is something to be said for the fact that they have no way on or off the island by car without paying a toll.

That being said, Brooklynites and in particular South Brooklyn residents, who commute to Staten Island or New Jersey for work, to visit family or shop several times a month or to go to summer homes on the Jersey shore could be paying several hundred dollars a month in tolls.

Assuming you are crossing over to New Jersey from Staten Island on a regular basis, the several hundred dollars in tolls can multiply. If you are doing the trip regularly all year, you could be talking about several thousand dollars in bridge tolls. Just in tolls! Incredible.

The Port Authority has a discount plan available for all using their Staten Island bridges which are the Goethals, the Outerbridge and the Bayonne Bridge. It is essentially 58 percent off the cash toll for those making three or more crossings a month on any of the bridges.

State Senator Marty Golden, with the support of Assemblymember Nicole Malliotakis and Congressmember Michael Grimm, has proposed that the MTA, which owns and operates the Verrazano Bridge, put in place the same discount plan.

Such a plan — which would apply to E-ZPass users who cross over at least three times a month — would result in the toll being reduced for them to $6.30. The senator and his colleagues argue that it is a matter of fairness and equity.

To help defray costs, the senator and his colleagues have made a number of suggestions that would more than cover the costs. Of course, for years the bridges have more than paid for themselves with the excess revenue going into mass transit. It is about time that the car-driving public who are providing this revenue receive some sort of benefit, such as a more equitable toll rate.

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The Cathedral Club of Brooklyn dinner held last week at the Marriott Marquis Hotel was as usual a great success. The group, chaired by Marty Cottingham, honored Louis Milo, the president of Milrose Consultants, with the guest speaker Father Timothy Scully, professor of Political Science and Trustee of Notre Dame University.

Funds raised at this dinner go to Catholic education, so it should come as no surprise that most of the speeches including those of Bishop DiMarzio focused on the Educational Investment Tax Credit, written and sponsored by Senator Golden, whom I serve as Chief of Staff.

The credit if law would provide a steady stream of funding into parochial, private and public schools for scholarship funds as well as other education-oriented programs such as tutoring and test preparation courses.

It even helps defray the cost of out-of-pocket teacher expenses. A thoughtful and comprehensive proposal, it is receiving a great deal of interest from parents and educational professionals from all regions of the state.

The more than 600 guests enjoyed fine remarks from Mr. Milo, who has devoted much time, effort and resources to many wonderful causes including the St. Francis Food Pantries, New York Special Olympics, and Saint Dominic’s Home as well the PAL and Tourette Syndrome Association.

Among the guests were Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino, Judges Matt D’Emic, Pat DiMango, Bernard Graham, John Ingram and Bob Miller, Congressmember Grimm, Senator Golden, Councilmember Vincent Gentile, and Conservative Party Chairperson Mike Long.