Agrees rebate is only start

(Re: “Is Bridge toll rebate enough for the Bronx?”)

To the Editor:

Thank you for your editorial. In my opinion, the bridge toll rebate is definitely not enough for residents of the Bronx who must commute by car into Manhattan below 60th Street.

From where I live, the only realistic option is the 1 train, but it is a 15-minute walk from my home and a ridiculously slow mode of transit stopping every seven to 10 blocks a good part of the way down.

Furthermore, for people of a certain age such as myself and my wife, the return trip is very problematic because it’s virtually impossible to get a seat.

We leave home at 6:15 in the morning and my wife, who works at Mount Sinai West, parks in a garage on 59th Street.

The West Side Highway lets people off at 57th Street, which seems like the more logical dividing line to impose congestion pricing.

I do think people who live in Riverdale and the Bronx deserve a break, because where we live is something of a transportation desert; a very inefficient, sluggish way of getting to work and many of us simply cannot afford the time even if we could put up with the overcrowding.

Years ago, there was a number 9 train that made skip stops and shaved some precious minutes off the otherwise clunky trip downtown and back. Unfortunately, the MTA caved to protesters who claimed skip stops catered to well-to-do Riverdale residents.

The truth is that most of the people getting on and off the 1 at 242nd Street are far from well to do. Most have to transfer to or from Yonkers buses.

It would be great if our politicians from all levels of government would lobby on behalf of all the residents in the Bronx on this very urgent matter.

Thank you for your attention.

Dr. Paul Chrzanowski