NYC Metropolitan Area Fact Sheets on the Ravitch Commission Plan

To fill giant holes in the MTA's budget and save riders from a "doomsday scenario" of massive fare hikes and service cuts, a state commission led by Richard Ravitch has released a comprehensive plan with two main funding sources: A payroll tax in the 12-county MTA region and the addition of tolls to the free East River and Harlem River bridges in New York City.

Predictably, the prospect of bridge tolls has many elected officials fuming. But an examination of 2000 Census data by the Tri-State Transportation Campaign shows that the vast majority of commuters in New York City and the surrounding counties would not be affected by East River and Harlem River bridge tolls because they do not drive alone to Manhattan. The analysis also shows that vehicle-owning households throughout the region are wealthier than households without access to a vehicle.

The fact sheets contain, for New York City and five surrounding counties, a breakdown of commuting patterns by mode and destination, vehicle ownership statistics, and the average incomes of vehicle-owning households and non-vehicle-owning households.