Skip to Content
Streetsblog New York City home
Streetsblog New York City home
Log In
Bridge Tolls

Pedro Espada’s Student Fare Fix: Toll the East River Bridges

No, it's not April First.

The Daily News and the Times-Union report that the Bronx pol who played a critical role in derailing bridge tolls last spring has proposed, yes, tolling the East River bridges.

Espada's office says that more than $500 million could be raised annually from two-way $2 tolls on the East River bridges, funds that would be used to prevent service cuts and restore discount student fares. His proposal does not include tolls on the Harlem River bridges. According to the Daily News, the State Senate will not include the idea as part of its upcoming state budget proposal, which may be approved as soon as today.

So has Espada given new life to road pricing or is this too little too late? A back-of-the-envelope calculation by road pricing maven Charles Komanoff suggests that the revenue projections are too optimistic by a large margin, but the net gain -- about $240 million, at most -- would seem to fall within the range needed to cover the cost of maintaining service and student fares.

We have a request in with the Senate leadership for comment. The Assembly, where bridge tolls pegged to the subway fare apparently enjoyed majority support last spring, has been characteristically tight-lipped. "At this point Speaker Silver is still in conversation with all members of the Assembly majority," a spokesperson told Streetsblog this morning.

While Espada hasn't exactly endeared himself to other Democrats in Albany, his change of stance may signify the erosion of the bloc that killed bridge tolls last year. Note, however, that the proposed tolls won't affect downtown-bound car commuters from
his district (only about three percent of his constituents, by the way [PDF]). And the Espada/Ruben Diaz, Sr./Carl Kruger alliance had already dissolved with the departure of their disgraced Fare Hike Four colleague Hiram Monserrate.

One thing to keep an eye on is whether any proposal for new MTA revenue also includes an ironclad "lockbox" mechanism to guarantee the money goes to transit. As we've seen, dedicated transit revenue is not, in fact, dedicated exclusively to transit.

Noah Kazis contributed to this post.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog New York City

OPINION: ‘Summer Streets’ Shows That Car-Free Roads Give Kids the Independence They Need

A 9-year-old shares his experience of riding on DOT’s Summer Streets by himself. 

September 3, 2025

Wednesday’s Headlines: Beautiful Day Edition

The weather is going to be stupendous again, so get out there ... after reading today's news digest.

September 3, 2025

State DOT Partially Backs Off Cross Bronx Expwy. Expansion

Advocates are still concerned about a project that will widen five bridges and create a temporary roadway.

September 2, 2025

Instacart Now Claims it ‘Supports’ Worker Minimum Wage That It Fought To Defeat; Experts See ‘Corporate Spin’

After an all-out campaign against a minimum wage for its workers, Instacart now claims it "supports" the bill. But that's just "a flat-out lie," said one worker advocate.

September 2, 2025

Tuesday’s Headlines: Jerry, We Hardly Knew Ye Edition

Finally, an honorable pol makes the choice to retire before everyone grows to hate him. Plus other news.

September 2, 2025

Monday’s Headlines: Closed for Labor Day Edition

It's time for the best parade of the year. Plus the weekend's news (so far).

September 1, 2025
See all posts