NYC congestion pricing, Port Authority fares, St. Paul's, Garden City

Divergent views on congestion pricing

Don’t let the polls claiming that Long Islanders oppose congestion fool you: Plenty of us know the true benefits of congestion pricing [“Poll: Congestion plan not OK,” News, Nov. 22].

Riders are already benefiting from tremendous investment in our infrastructure, with projects like Third Track, Grand Central Madison and signal upgrades.

Congestion pricing will do even more, investing 10% of the $15 billion in revenue it will raise for critical improvements like new Long Island Rail Road train cars, improving signals to Montauk, station accessibility projects and untangling the Jamaica crawl.

These essential projects will help reduce delays that riders have become accustomed to, and they will give the Metropolitan Transportation Authority more freedom to schedule more and longer trains. Without congestion pricing, there’s no telling when future capital upgrades will come to fruition.

Even if you’re a diehard driver, congestion pricing will help you, too. It will get others out of their cars and onto transit all around the region, clearing up roads and speeding up your trips.

Here’s what the polls won’t tell you: Congestion pricing will help all Long Islanders, whether you drive into the city every day or ride the LIRR.

— Gerard Bringmann, Patchogue

The writer chairs the LIRR Commuter Council.

Congestion pricing is just another way for the government to squeeze out money from taxpayers. That’s especially true since millions of dollars are now needed for the migrants populating our area and because crime has caused some high-income people to flee the city and state.

I travel to doctors in Manhattan and now will need to pay to travel within our next-door city. MTA chairman and CEO Janno Lieber is in a dreamworld and seems to have interest in only raising more money for the MTA.

Lieber said congestion pricing will help make roads less crowded. If they want to clear the roads, they need to remove outside restaurants occupying our streets.

Credit belongs to New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, who has gone to court to stop this.

— Joseph F. DeFelice, Malverne

For whom the tolls rise: They rise for me

How can these tolls constantly be going up every time someone in Port Authority feels the need? Soon we will be signing over our house deed [“AirTrain, bridge, tunnel fares rising,” News, Nov. 22].

We go over two bridges, and they have to fill my account again. What used to be a 75-cent bridge toll now can cost over $14. You have to cross a bridge in order to get off Long Island . . . unless you have a boat.

I would like to have the receipts for just one day from the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge. That would be a good retirement fund. Where does all the money go? There are no more toll collectors, so who’s benefiting? The roads on the bridges aren’t the best, but we keep getting toll increases. New York: the land of taxes and tolls. Isn’t it great!

— Camille Morselli, Islip Terrace

Once again, the Port Authority gives no break to conscientious carpooling drivers or seniors. No discounts or fare adjustments. It’s shameful.

— Philip Kirk, Sea Cliff

Work for St. Paul’s, not for litigation

My wife and I have been Garden City residents for over 40 years [“Fight over St. Paul’s has only just begun,” Letters, Nov. 21]. In the early 1990s, we participated in the vote on whether to preserve St. Paul’s School or demolish it.

Not every registered voter participated, much like the recent vote. The majority voted to save St. Paul’s. Unfortunately, due to politics and infighting, nothing was ever done in the intervening years.

We continue to support preservation. We are glad the vote went in the direction of preservation. Over the years, there has been a small yet vocal, somewhat boisterous group who continue to advocate for demolition for various reasons. The writer of the letter made it perfectly clear that the fight has only begun, and it won’t be pretty. The bottom line is that most Garden City voters cast their ballots to save St. Paul’s. It was a legitimate vote.

Now is the time to tone down the rhetoric, unite as a community and put our efforts into a viable plan rather than litigate a valid vote.

— George Reichenbach, Garden City

Sometimes, the best tip isn’t in dollars

My mother never tired of telling the story about the note her father once left for a waitress who had provided him, my grandmother and their seven children with less-than-satisfactory service [“Tipping point,” LI Business, Nov. 26]. My grandfather’s note said: “My TIP to you is ‘BETTER SERVICE!’ ”

— Richard Siegelman, Plainview