FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 21, 2009
Contact: Y. Phillip Goldfeder
718-825-2566
Statement from Council Candidate Frank Gulluscio on the Proposed Fare Hike by the MTA
"I was proud last night to join over three hundred of my friends and neighbors at the MTA public hearing in Flushing to tell the MTA that we are not going to take their fare hike proposals lightly."
"Once again, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority is expecting hard working commuters to bail them out of their financial disrepair. I am deeply troubled at the prospect of a fare hike and even more so at the proposed elimination of the resident rebate for the Cross Bay Bridge. The MTA continues to be a prime example of mismanagement and mis-allocation of public funds and their historical and only response to budgetary crises is to further tax local families."
"The Cross Bay Bridge is unique in that it is the only tolled bridge in the city that connects two communities within the same zip code. Just over ten years ago, we joined together as a concerned community to fight for our rights and we were successful. It is time once again to let our voices be heard and remind those leaders of the MTA that they are not going to balance their budget on the backs of Queens residents. Local families rely heavily on the bridge to commute to work, transport their children to and from school, shop for groceries, attend religious services, utilize their police precinct and visit their doctor."
