Photo Courtesy of the Pheffer Amato Campaign
Democratic Assembly Candidate Stacey Pheffer Amato said the one-day suspension of toll collection will help the Taste of Rockaway festival help “generate much-needed economic activity” in the area.
By Michael V. Cusenza
An area Assembly candidate recently served the Metropolitan Transportation Authority a bit of food for thought when she asked the agency for a temporary suspension of toll collection at the Cross Bay Veterans Memorial Bridge for motorists visiting the surfside community for the biannual Taste of Rockaway festival.
In a letter to MTA Bridges and Tunnels President Donald Spero, Stacey Pheffer Amato, a Democrat, called for a one-time moratorium on tolls at the bridge linking the Rockaway Peninsula to the rest of the borough during the next Taste of Rockaway in December. Pheffer Amato said she believes that the fee discourages visitors to the popular food fair, thereby affecting the community’s ongoing recovery from Superstorm Sandy. The revenues generated by TOR and its promotion of local businesses would far outweigh a single day’s loss in tolls, Pheffer Amato reasoned.
“Taste of Rockaway has become a symbol of our community’s recovery and resiliency from Superstorm Sandy. This great festival showcases our best local, family-owned restaurants and helps generate much-needed economic activity,” said Pheffer Amato, who also co-owns Elegante Restaurant and Pizzeria on Rockaway Beach Boulevard. “By suspending the toll on the Cross Bay Bridge during Taste of Rockaway, the MTA can send a strong message that it supports small businesses in this community and is committed to our long-term recovery.”
Organized in 2013, just months after Sandy plowed through the peninsula, the semiannual Taste of Rockaway invites foodies of all ages to sample the fare of Rockaway Beach’s myriad eateries. According to Pheffer Amato, more than 18 vendors participated in the last TOR in May, attracting nearly 2,000 revelers to the community.
Pheffer Amato has characterized her toll-free request as a “novel solution” to one of the main issues of the race to represent the 23rd Assembly District. In 2012, outgoing Assemblyman Phil Goldfeder (D-Howard Beach), who has endorsed Pheffer Amato, secured a rebate program in the State budget to reimburse residents of Rockaway and Broad Channel for the bridge tolls. Still, Pheffer Amato said, many in the community continue to see the fee as a barrier to economic growth, especially in the years since Sandy struck in October 2012.
Goldfeder said the toll “divides our community and deprives us of needed economic growth following Sandy. I was proud to bring back the residency rebate and I applaud Stacey Pheffer Amato for her new proposal to encourage residents from across the city to enjoy our popular Taste of Rockaway festival. Our restaurants and family-owned small businesses rely on visitors and we must do everything we can to encourage travel to our beautiful community.”
Robert Kaskel, president of the business advocacy organization Rockaway Union added, “Our Taste of Rockaway event has grown annually since its inception after Hurricane Sandy. Removing the toll on the Cross Bay Bridge will greatly enhance the event’s participation and make it even more accessible to those outside of the Rockaways.”
An MTA spokesperson told The Forum that they are reviewing Pheffer Amato’s letter.
