We posted yesterday about proposed legislation by State Senators Eric Adams and Jeff Klein to increase summer driving by suspending tolls on bridges and tunnels, thereby leaving transit riders to pay for their largess. Soon after, Adams constituent Carrie McLaren picked up the news on her neighborhood blog, Hawthorne Street. Now Adams wants to hold a kitchen cabinet meeting about the bill:
This discussion has been so extremely motivating that I would like totake it to the next level. In order to do so, however, we must movefrom conversation to action. I am not a talker, I am a doer. Therefore,I will open my office 572 Flatbush Avenue Brooklyn, NY (718) 284-4700,on Saturday, June 7th, at 10:00 AM for a meeting with all those whoemailed and responded to this issue. I have a group of educators toassist me on educational issues, a group of medical professionals foraid on medical issues, and a group of law enforcement personnel to helpme deal with public safety issues. I would like to extend this paradigmand invite those of you who have great ideas on transportation issuesto join me next Saturday in an attempt to turn your suggestions intolegislation. All are welcome. If you are planning to attend, pleaseemail me at my personal email at Voiceofconcern@aol.com.
We're glad to see the senator engage the public on transportation policy. Ideally it would eventually lead to discussion at the state level on the consequences of auto dependence, especially at the expense of transit funding, as this legislation would bring about.
Still, we can't help but notice that while Adams wants to give millions of drivers a pass on tolls, he is a supporter of a bill that would require a handful of current and former MTA board members to give up their own toll and fare privileges. We can only assume that the title of his press release on the subject, "The Free Ride Is Over," is offered without irony.
