Comptroller Bill Thompson yesterday blasted Mayor Bloomberg for ducking the politically sensitive issue of tolling the free East River bridges.
"Mayor Michael Bloomberg should not be given an E-ZPass on this issue. The mayor needs to lead on this issue and not hide," said Thompson, a Democrat who plans to challenge Bloomberg for mayor.
Thompson went on to criticize the MTA's proposal to toll the Brooklyn (pictured), Manhattan, Williamsburg and 59th Street bridges as a way to help plug its projected $1.2 billion budget hole.
"Placing tolls along these bridges penalizes people for living in The Bronx, Queens, Staten Island and Brooklyn boroughs, especially those who don't have the best access to subway and bus transportation," he fumed at a press conference at the foot of the Brooklyn Bridge.
Bloomberg has not taken a position on the toll plan, which was endorsed Thursday by a commission charged with devising a plan to solve the MTA's budget crisis. He did, however, stand with Gov. Paterson and former MTA Chairman Richard Ravitch when they presented the proposal Thursday.
"As everyone knows, the mayor came up with a plan to get the money we need to fix our subways last year. He's working cooperatively with Gov. Paterson now to find a solution that avoids massive subway fare increases," Bloomberg spokesman Stu Loeser said.
He was referring to Bloomberg's failed bid to institute congestion pricing earlier this year, which Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver (D-Manhattan) derailed in Albany.
Silver supports Ravitch's toll plan but has said the state may not have the authority to enact it; the city's lawyers say the plan would need state approval.
Thompson also reiterated his call for the state Legislature to increase weight-based vehicle-registration fees for drivers in the MTA region, which includes the city and seven surrounding counties.
He estimated that increasing the registration charge by $100 for cars weighing 2,300 pounds or less and 9 cents for every additional pound would generate more than $1 billion annually.
