HELP US LOBBY NYS TO PROVIDE RESIDENT DISCOUNTS ON TZ BRIDGE

When the new Tappan Zee Bridge is built tolls could be
as high as $15. This will have a negative impact on everyone: residents,
businesses, and working people.  Residents of both counties need reasonable
access across the bridge.  NYS needs to find a way to support funding
alternatives for the bridge without the need to place an unfair and unnecessary
burden on the local community and its economy.

This letter is being
written to encourage readers to write to the Governor, head of the NYS Thruway
Authority, the County Executives of Westchester and Rockland and ask them to
push for discounts on the Tappan Zee Bridge once the new bridge is built.
Decisions regarding the bridge will be made shortly.  The new bridge must
address the issue of tolls and a fair and equitable plan for residents of
Westchester and Rockland Counties – not just for commuters but for all trips. 
In Buffalo the state offers residents of Buffalo a significant discount on the
Grand Island Bridge.  As you will note from the Thruway Authority provisions
posted on their website below:  Grand Island residents pay only 9 cents to cross
the Grand Island Bridges.  Non residents pay $1 per trip! Westchester residents
are currently subsidizing the bridge toll fees for residents of the Buffalo
area.  Why can’t they do the same for us?  It’s not fair for the state to
provide significant toll reductions for people upstate and not do the same for
people downstate.

Please write to the following
people:



Governor Andrew Cuomo
Executive Chamber
Albany,
NY  12224



C. Scott Vanderhoef
Rockland County
Executive
11 New Hempstead Road
New City, NY 
10956





Howard Milstein,
Chairman
NYS Thruway Authority
200 Southern Blvd.
P.O.
Box 189
Albany, NY 12201-0189

Thomas J. Madison, Jr., Executive
Director
NYS Thruway Authority
200 Southern Blvd.
P.O. Box
189
Albany, NY 12201-0189

Rob Astorino
Westchester County
Executive
148 Martine Avenue
White Plains, NY 
10601


Please also send letters to your State
Senator/Assemblyman.  I would appreciate a copy of the
letter.

The following is from the NYS Thruway Authority website: 
Thruway Grand Island Resident**: Receive a $0.91 discount per trip ($0.09
versus the cash $1.00 per trip) on the Grand Island Bridges. Proof of Grand
Island residency required. No minimum usage is required. Residency status is
subject to periodic review. If this plan is selected, the $25 required
prepayment  in Box B of application is waived. Plan Code: (GIR) - Required
Prepayment ($5.00).  * Attach a copy of one of the following: vehicle
registration, driver's license, or utility bill. A vehicle registration may be
used on only one E-ZPass account. Residency status is subject to periodic
review.   ** You must provide a copy of your driver's license, utility bill or
lease agreement AND a copy of your vehicle registration for each E-ZPass Tag
requested. A vehicle registration may be used on only one E-ZPass account.
Residency status is subject to periodic
review.

Sincerely,



Paul J. Feiner
Greenburgh
Town Supervisor