Goldfeder to New MTA Boss - End Cross Bay Bridge Toll.....

For Immediate Release:                               
Contact: Phil GoldfederNovember 21, 2011                                         
718-945-9550

***Press Release***

Goldfeder   invites new MTA director   to visit 23rd Assembly District

Assemblyman Phil Goldfeder (D-Far Rockaway)  sent a letter to recently appointed Metropolitan Transportation Authority   (MTA) Executive Director Joseph Lhota in an effort to have the Cross Bay Bridge toll eliminated.

In the letter, Goldfeder encouraged  Lhota to visit his Assembly District and hear first hand from local   businesses and residents how the toll on the CrossBayBridge affects their daily lives.   Goldfeder also asked Lhota to work with him to end the toll.

“This campaign to end the   Cross Bay Bridge toll for the people of the 23rd   Assembly District is a top priority of mine,” Goldfeder said. “I am hopeful   that the new Executive Director will inject some common sense into the   MTA and heed our call to end this unfair ‘tax’   on the working people of southern Queens.”

Whether it’s getting to and from work,   transporting children to school, accessing the police precinct or simply   heading to the post office, crossing the bridge is a daily necessity for many   in southern Queens. The cost of the toll quickly adds up,   and, given the current economic climate, that cost can be overwhelming.  

“The toll is hurting Queens residents and placing a great burden on   the local economy,” Goldfeder stated in his letter. “We should be doing   everything we can to attract visitors and businesses to our area, not charging them a fee to get here.”

Until July 23,  2010, Rockaway and   Broad Channel residents were exempt from paying the fee, but in an effort to help close its budget deficit, the MTA scaled back the popular resident discount   program.

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