Port Authority Gives Out $1 Mil In E-Z Passes

It looks like the MTA isn't alone in giving away taxpayer dollars to their favorite people. The Port Authority, funded by New York and New Jersey, have been doling out more than a million dollars worth of E-Z passes. None of this of course, was done with the permission of the taxpayer.

From The NY Daily News:

The Port Authority loses $1 million a year in tolls from almost 7,600 employees and retirees who get free E-ZPass tags, thanks to union contracts and agency tradition.

"The program only represents a fraction of a percent of our toll revenue," Port Authority spokesman Marc La Vorgna told the Daily News. "It is a commitment that was made mostly through collective bargaining."

The E-ZPasses work on the agency's bridges and tunnels. About 4,000 of them go to active employees, the rest to retirees.

Gov. Paterson, through a spokeswoman, did not take a position on the matter. New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine called on the Port Authority to drop the perk, calling it inappropriate.

This blows away the mere $30,000 in freebies the MTA has been found to give away to their board members. Although many of these have gone to union members, it should still have been done with the knowledge of the public...and not simply come out in the news like this.

And Away We Go!

Yesterday marked the completion of the foundations for towers three and four at the World Trade Center site downtown. The Port Authority was forty-eight days late in delivering the locations to Larry (no relation whatsoever to this blogger) Silverstein and will be paying his company over $14 million in late fees. Considering he pays over $200,000 a day for the lease, the late fees are a drop in the bucket.

From the AP:

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey finished excavating the land for the towers on Sunday, 48 days behind a deadline it set for itself in an agreement with Larry Silverstein. The agency paid $14.4 million in late fees to the developer. It said it partially made up for the cost by not paying the contractor a $10 million bonus it would have received for finishing on time.

The Port Authority worked for more than a year to build 80-foot-deep foundations for two towers that Silverstein will build, removing nearly 400,000 tons of concrete, soil and rock. Silverstein had said that construction would begin on the towers within weeks after the land was turned over.[...]

The skyscrapers, all at least as tall as the Empire State Building, are expected to be built in the next four years. Construction is under way at the site on a 1,776-foot building called the Freedom Tower, a Sept. 11 memorial and a transit hub.

Hmm, the AP might want to do their homework a little better next time. Not all the skyscrapers are going to be as tall as the E.S.B. uptown. Tower 3 is expected to rise 71 stories and tower 4 will be a little shorter at 64 stories. That is a far cry from the 102 stories that the iconic building on 34th St. rises. Regardless, the new buildings will definitely add more substance to the downtown skyline sooner rather than later.

Giuliani And Norm Siegel Agree On Something?

You wouldn't think that New York City's public advocate and the man referred to as the "Mussolini of Manhattan" would agree on anything, but Norm Siegel and Rudy Giuliani found common ground on at least one issue. The victims of September 11th have been remembered every year on the hallowed site where they perished nearly six years ago. Now that construction is kicking into full gear at Ground Zero, the mayor and others are moving it to a park nearby. The change has pissed plenty of people off from very different political persuasions, obviously.

From The Daily News:

The controversy over the plan to move this year’s 9/11 memorial out of Ground Zero for the first time has made for an unlikely alliance: Civil rights lawyer Norman Siegel and his onetime arch-nemesis, Rudy Giuliani.

The pair, who tussled frequently when Giuliani was mayor and Siegel was the head of the New York Civil Liberties Union, suddenly find themselves on the same side, backing families who want the memorial held at the World Trade Center site.

"Last night, I said to my wife, 'It’s finally come full circle,'" Siegel said with a smile today outside Zuccotti Park, the plaza across the street and one block South of Ground Zero where the city and state plan to hold this year’s memorial.

Siegel, who plans to run for public advocate for a third time next fall, is representing 11 family groups who filed a permit application with the Port Authority today to have the event at the site – which Giuliani said Tuesday he supports.

Well how about that, even polar political opposites can agree on some things....or at least one item that is very emotional for New Yorkers and Americans in general. Proponents of the move say they had to make the decision because of construction. I call bullshit, the Port Authority can take a break on September 11th, 2007 to honor the thousands that lost their lives on that tragic day.

The End Of The Tollbooth?

The Port Authority of New York/New Jersey is thinking of getting rid of manned tollbooths once and for all. The result would be a system where an E-ZPass is a must in order to use the bridges and tunnels of the tri-state area that have tolls. Most drivers that come into the city have E-ZPass already, roughly 75 to 80 percent of all in-bound traffic, so is it really a big deal to get rid of the old system?

The pros of the change are vast. It reduces idling time at the entrances of the bridges and tunnels so that is good for the environment. Traffic flow would increase, as the E-ZPass accomodates 1400 cars and regular tollbooths only take up to 400 cars an hour. Basically it would help NYC to move faster and more efficiently.

The downturns would be to those that are visiting the area and do not have nor know what an E-ZPass is. Coming from Los Angeles, it is rare to see a toll on the maze of freeways except down in Orange County. It would also hurt those that can only do cash and rely on the tollbooth. The 185 unionized workers that man the booths would also be fazed out.

For the vast majority of people, this works out great. Long waits to get into the Lincoln, Holland and Midtown tunnels are horrendous and frustrating to be a part of. When you need to rush to the airport, you really feel it (which is why I take the train now, not to mention way less expensive). The reduced pollution from idling cars is also very nice. So while a few will be inconvenienced by the change, I think that the new system would benefit New York, as long as the minority that rely on the the booths be accommodated somehow.