One island punished for another’s traffic

Manhattan: As congestion pricing rolls out across New York City, one neighborhood has been completely forgotten in the crosshairs: Roosevelt Island. Its residents face a unique geographic reality. Our only vehicular connection to the rest of NYC is the Roosevelt Island Bridge, which deposits us directly into Astoria, Queens. We are not located within the Manhattan Central Business District tolling zone. However, for residents who must cross into Manhattan to access vital services, jobs or medical care, our natural route is the Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge.

Because of the current placement of the MTA’s license plate readers, Roosevelt Island and Queens residents are being hit with an unfair toll just to access a historically free bridge, even if they have no intention of driving through the downtown congestion zone. For working people, patient care coordinators and families who rely on this crossing for their daily commutes, this toll is a crushing financial burden rather than a solution to traffic. The state must show compassion for the unique geography of our neighborhood. The simple and fair resolution is to move the plate readers a block over to the bridge entrance itself. This would allow residents to utilize the Queensboro Bridge freely without being penalized for a congestion zone they are not even entering.

I urge our city and state representatives, the MTA and Gov. Hochul to look at the map, recognize this oversight and adjust the tolling boundaries to protect Roosevelt Island and Queens drivers.

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