Meyer’s Musings – Grand Island Tolls
By Dan Meyer
Forget calling the region Western New York.
Redheaded stepchild is a more suitable moniker.
Despite all of the support shown by folks from these parts who want to see the collection of tolls for traveling on the Grand Island Bridge cease, it appears our good friends from downstate will once again get their way, meaning good old Western New York will continue to be ignored by the decision makers in Albany.
In case you missed it, the Assembly recently voted to eliminate a toll booth from Interstate 95 at the New Rochelle toll plaza on the Thruway. Motorists on that stretch of the I-95 currently pay $1.50 and the original plan was to raise that rate by a quarter next year.
But this latest action — Assembly members passed the measure by an 87 to 47 vote — called for the abolishment of the collection of tolls there because elected officials from downstate believe, in the words of Assemblyman George Latimer of Westchester, that the tolls “imposed unfair burdens on my constituents.”
In support of the legislation, Latimer wrote, “Daily commuters from Westchester, the Bronx and Manhattan pay a disproportionate fee to use this section of the Thruway, compared to every other corridor across the state.”
Latimer also added that the toll plaza adds to local congestion and air pollution in the area, particularly during the early morning and early evening prime time commuting time periods.
Boohoo.
Seriously, while those points are all well taken, what about the requests of Grand Island’s Rus Thompson and the over 8,500 people who have signed the online petition asking for the removal of the Grand Island tolls?
What are we, chopped liver? Oh wait, that’s not right. I forgot, we’re the redheaded stepchild.
That’s right. Western New York is the redheaded stepchild because the previously mentioned bill endorsed by Latimer apparently has all of the downstate support that it needs to pass.
And here’s the kicker — the Assembly is also considering another piece of legislation that was first introduced a couple of months ago to eliminate the toll plaza in Yonkers.
According to Thompson, the only elected representative from this area who works in Albany that is acting in the best interests of commuters is Senator George Maziarz of Newfane, who Thompson says personally provides him with regular updates or has someone from his office in the state capital give Thompson a status check on where the Grand Island toll bill is.
Where are Assemblymen Sam Hoyt and Antoine Thompson to answer the questions of why the bill is still tied up in committee in the Assembly? Rus Thompson said he’s still waiting to hear back from both of them despite several requests for assistance.
As of the writing of this column, the bill to eliminate the Grand Island tolls was still sitting in the Ways and Means Committee of the Assembly. It has an official bill number — A10003 for those keeping score at home — and is sponsored by Hoyt, but for whatever reason it’s firmly stuck in committee and therefore can’t reach the floor so it can be entertained with a vote.
Rus Thompson did tell me in a telephone interview earlier this week that he heard back from Gov. David Paterson’s office, with a staffer telling him to personally write the governor and mail that request for an appointment.
What we have are two elected officials ignoring the repeated requests of several thousand constituents, a bill all written up with no place to go and many Western New Yorkers frustrated by the lack of response from politicians who were elected to represent us.
Despite all that, Rus Thompson remains determined and focused on getting the toll bill out of committee.
“I haven’t heard a thing despite repeated phone calls and e-mails and that’s disturbing,” Rus Thompson said about the lack of response he’s gotten from elected officials other than Maziarz. “The silence is deafening.”
Could some type of legal action be the next step should things not go the way Rus Thompson and his supporters want them to?
“Are we ready to file a lawsuit against Albany? I think the time just may be right to do just that,” Thompson stated in a recent e-mail sent to those who signed his petition at www.nogitolls.com. “Maybe someone can get these messages to Governor Paterson. I have tried with no success.”
Keep trying Rus. It’s something worth fighting for.
(Daniel Meyer is a columnist for the Weekly Independent Newspapers of Western New York. Comments on this column can be sent via e-mail to: meyersmusings@gmail.com. Opinions expressed here are those of the author.)
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