Brooklyn Responds To Congestion Pricing Plan

Free Subway Service Proposed

In response to the Congestion Pricing Brooklyn citizens have rallied around demanding less taxes, more control, and free subway access. Hundreds of phone calls and emails have been sent to local assembly members and city council members demanding a real answer to congestion within the city, and the city business core of Midtown, the Financial District and Downtown Brooklyn.

Michael Richardson, a resident of Flatbush for 40 years, when discussing the City Council's vote to tax the Brooklyn East River Bridges said, “It's just a money grab and these politicians have been brought off by the Bloomberg administration with pet projects, campain contributions and promised pork. This is just a money grab by the MTA which keeps stealing money from every New Yorker. Instead of the MTA taking money from us for these projects, they should be paying us? Why does the MTA not pay New York City for the rights to run the train? Maybe we need a different organization or a business to take over. If they're worried about congestion, make the subways free. We're paying for them anyway”

This sentiment has been stirring even more in the boroughs over the last week as the council voted for the congestion pricing plan over the strenous objections of Brooklyn and Manhattan. In fact, the map of the votes shows clearly the breakdown between Manhattan and the Bronx, which voted in favor of the tax plan, and Brooklyn and Queens which voted nearly 2-1 against tolling the outerboroughs. Outlined on the map you can clearly see all the middleclass and working nieghborhoods voted against the tax hikes. And the left over districts had large graft thrown their way to buy votes.

Brooklyn is demanding Free Subways. Subways want to be free as an answer to congression. With almost half the traffic into Manhattan originating from outside of the city proper, taxing Brooklyn and Queens for polution problems on Canal Street is unjust punishment. If the MTA gets the blank check the City Council proposes, the promised increased services will be overrun by the extended ability of the MTA to control the economy of New York more effectively, giving them a veto over city growth from here on until the future. The real answer to congression is free subways, saving nearly every city resident almost $1000 a year, and encouraging outsiders to use the train.

Politcal movement has started for the alternative Free Subway congession plan. Members of the City Council are increasing hearing the calls for a Free Subway with Free Bridges for the residents of New York. “We pay for our streets. We pay for our Trains. We pay and pay and pay and make New York the world class town it is. I'll be damned to have to keep paying more to drive my goods in Manhattan Markets just so some fat cats at the MTA can fund their Long Island Railroad extention to Grand Central Station. Let them cut their bloated budget and let our Babylon brothers take a free subway from Penn Station to Park Avenue.”