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Before the bridge and tunnel tolls went up in March, Jon Peluso of West Hempstead did what any commuter would do. He bought tokens. Lots and lots of tokens. More than $500 worth.
Peluso commutes several days a week on the Throgs Neck Bridge and, as such, he is a prime candidate for E-ZPass, the electronic toll system that was supposed to make everything better. But he won't sign up just yet.
"I've got 15 more rolls of tokens," he said.
Of course, E-ZPass hasn't been the solution to bridge traffic backups; instead, it's become a symbol of them. Peluso, like others who use the Throgs Neck every day, is cursing the Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority every day. "You finally get to the approach where it opens up," he said. "And you see nobody sitting in these E-ZPass lanes."
The rampant hoarding before any toll increase is as predictable as the arrival of spring, but this time it may be part of the problem, TBTA officials say. "We're still having more tokens come in than we're selling," said spokesman Josh Taylor. "That's one of the reasons why there's been a lot of congestion at the Throgs Neck. People who are our primary customers have tons of rolls of tokens left."
When the next fare hike rolls around, no one will be hoarding. By early next year, in a move to encourage more...