2 JULY 14 - JULY 20, 2017 BROOKLYN MEDIA GROUP
Welcome, cashless tolling
BY JAIME DEJESUS
JDEJESUS@BROOKLYNREPORTER.COM
Traffic relief may finally be on the way for
southwest Brooklyn.
As of Saturday, July 8 at 3 a.m., long-awaited
cashless tolling began on the Verrazano-Narrows
Bridge.
Governor Andrew Cuomo made the announcement
on Friday, July 7. The hopes is that utilizing the
new technology will reduce congestion and improve
travel, something area residents are eager for, especially
given the traffic spilling into the streets of Bay
Ridge that has accompanied the construction work
over the past few months.
"The Verrazano-Narrows Bridge is a vital transportation
artery for New York City, and cashless
tolling will improve safety, reduce congestion
and streamline travel between Staten Island and
Brooklyn," said Cuomo. "By transitioning to cashless
tolling, we are modernizing our transportation
infrastructure and easing commutes for current and
future generations of New Yorkers."
Due to planned work at Penn Station, where Amtrak
is proposing repairs, the decision was made to
speed up the cashless tolling initiative, which has the
potential to save commuters up to 21 hours of drive
time every year.
Early Saturday morning, even as cashless tolling
took effect, the city started to remove the original
toll booths piece by piece. By the Monday morning
commute on July 10, all that remained from the longtime
booths were concrete frames from each former
divider, which vehicles slowed down a bit to pass.
The change was very noticeable for commuters
during the evening rush hour, both for riders of
MTA buses and drivers, who no longer had to stop
at toll booths on their way to Staten Island.
“It is already really speeding things up, which
everybody loves,” said Maria Z., who comes from
Staten Island to Brooklyn daily for work. “I feel bad
for the toll booth workers, but I look forward to this
efficiency and a quicker and smoother flow of traffic.”
Under cashless tolling, vehicles with E-Z Pass tags
will be automatically charged and vehicles without
E-Z Pass will have their license plate recorded, with
a bill mailed to the registered owner of the vehicle.
According to Cuomo, customers who do not pay
their tolls are subject to fines, registration suspensions
and other enforcement actions. Late fees
accrue if an initial toll bill is unpaid, and if a second
notice is also ignored, fines of up to $100 per toll
violation may be imposed.
The New York State Department of Motor Vehicles
has enacted a regulation that allows suspension of
the vehicle registration of motorists with three or
more unpaid tolls, violation fees or other charges
resulting from violations on different days, and of
commercial vehicle owners with $200 or more in
unpaid tolls and violation fees within a period of five
years, who ignore toll authorities' repeated notices.
Drivers who receive a bill can pay it online at the
Tolls by Mail website, by mail, over the phone or
in-person, with payment options including check,
credit card, bank account or cash.
In having cashless tolling, the Verrazano-Narrows
Bridge joins the RFK Bridge, Henry Hudson Bridge,
Hugh L. Carey Tunnel, Queens Midtown Tunnel and
Rockaway Bridges (Cross Bay and Marine Parkway),
where sensors and cameras suspended over the
highway on structures known as "gantries" read E-Z
Pass tags and take license plate images, so vehicles
no longer have to stop and pay the toll.
For additional information on cashless tolling
and E-ZPass, visit www. mta.info/e-zpass or call
1-800-333-8655.
MAJOR CRIME DOWN
Brooklyn is continuing to experience a major
decline in crime, including double-digit
drops in shooting incidents, shooting victims
and homicides, according to statistics collected
by the New York Police Department.
On Thursday, July 6, Acting District
Attorney Eric Gonzalez announced that 50
murders had been recorded in Brooklyn so
far in 2017. At this time last year, 61 murders
had been recorded, putting 2017 on track to
be the year with the fewest murders since
statistics were tracked.
Also in noticeable decline are shooting
incidents and shooting victims, which are
down by approximately 20 percent each
compared to this time last year.
Overall, the Total Crime Index, which
represents the seven major felony crimes,
is down by 4.5 percent for the year so far
in Brooklyn. Rape remains the only felony
category not in decline, with a 0.9 percent
uptick compared to this time last year.
CITY DOWN IN TRAFFIC
DEATHS
The first half of 2017 contained the fewest
traffic fatalities on record in New York City,
according to Mayor Bill de Blasio.
De Blasio announced that, under Vision
Zero, the city saw 93 fatalities in the first six
months of 2017, the first time ever that fewer
than 100 fatalities had been recorded in such
a period.
Fiscal Year 2017, which ended on June 30,
was the city’s safest fiscal year on record,
demonstrating a 24 percent decline in traffic
deaths compared to Fiscal Year 2014.
Meanwhile, according to the National
Safety Council, traffic fatalities increased
by 14 percent nationwide from 2014-2016.
NEW RACING SERIES IN
RED HOOK
The New York City Economic Development
Corporation (NYCEDC) is teaming up with
Formula E to host the inaugural Formula E
Qualcomm New York City ePrix on Saturday,
July 15 and Sunday, July 16.
The event, which is to take place at the
Brooklyn Cruise Terminal in Red Hook, will
be the first Federation Internationale de l’Automobile
sanctioned open-wheel race to take
place within New York City. The race comes
as part of the FIA Formula E Championship,
the world’s first fully-electric single-seater
racing series.
The 1.21 mile off-street track features 10
turns and curves around Pier 11 and the
Brooklyn Cruise Terminal.
—Jonathan Sperling
Photo courtesy of Butch Moran
The Verrazano Bridge has entered the era of cashless tolling.