Two petitions call on the Nassau County Bridge Authority for answers

Atlantic Beach Bridge users haven’t been hesitant to voice their opposition to the toll increases announced by the Nassau County Bridge Authority last year and implemented in January. Many are still seeking answers to their questions about the fare hikes.

Beth Garnett, of Atlantic Beach, created two petitions calling on the bridge authority to rescind the increases and to release the financial proof of its contention that they were necessary.

“I have taken steps to make my activism more productive,” Garnett said. “I saw the opportunity to rally everyone and give them the loud voice to be heard.”

The first petition, “Call for the Nassau County Bridge Authority to Rescind The Excessive Toll Hike,” lists bridge users’ struggles with inflation, the burden of the coronavirus pandemic, unemployment and other reasons to repeal the toll increases. As of press time, more than 850 people had signed it.

The second petition, “Call for the Nassau County Bridge Authority To Make All Their Financials Transparent,” requests that the bridge authority detail how it will spend the additional toll-generated funds. At press time, it had over 1,200 signatures.

“For the toll increase, it seemed like everyone had it,” Garnett said. “It seemed like it was the last straw and everyone got angry.”

Signees added their reasons for signing to the petitions. Deborah Coles wrote, “This increase is absurd! It’s way too much at one time. This is a huge increase and it is very hard to handle.”

Angela Tancredi commented, “Where is the money going?”

Rosemarie Evola, NCBA’s assistant director, declined to comment.

The bridge authority, which oversees the Atlantic Beach Bridge’s operations, announced late last year that tolls for passenger vehicles would rise to $3 from $2, and that truck tolls would increase from $4 to $8 or from $8 to $16, depending on their size. The authority stated that the money would be used to upgrade the 70-year-old bridge and to implement the E-ZPass electronic tolling system.

Cleaning, painting and roadwork is expected to cost $6 million; $5 million is targeted for the installation of E-ZPass and for toll plaza refurbishment; and another $5 million will be used for bulkhead replacement.

Earlier this month, authority board commissioners told the Herald they had reached an agreement with TRMI Systems Integration, a service that specializes in electronic toll systems, to implement E-ZPass.

Last year, in response to the negative feedback from bridge users that followed the announcement of the increases, the authority hosted a meeting in December, at its headquarters on the bridge, to address their questions. More than 40 people attended.

Atlantic Beach resident Barry Ringelheim wanted to take part, but left before the meeting began because the attendees were crowded into a small room.

“The bridge authority owes it to everyone who wants to attend a meeting,” Ringelheim said. “A meeting at a village hall where you can hold 100 people, and not a room (that) the Board of Health or the Fire Department would consider a fire hazard.”

Given the response to the petitions, Ringelheim added that he hoped the bridge authority would be more transparent. “If they can prove that it was necessary, then I’m all for it,” he said of the toll increases. “Show us in black and white who is paying for the E-ZPass equipment, how much they collect from each E-ZPass toll and prove to the citizens of Atlantic Beach that it was necessary to have the increase.”

Have an opinion on the toll hikes at the bridge? Send a letter to jbessen@liherald.com.