MTA demanding the New York City Marathon pay it $750,000 to use Verrazzano bridge

MTA is a creation of the state government, not the city. "The mayor and other city officials" don't have to be on board.

Could they just link everyone’s timing chips to their EZpass account?

For runners without EZpass there could be a pay-by-face option. Facial recognition software will be used to mail a bill to the address on file (plus an admin fee).

Leave the big apple for a year and see how their tune changes.

A quick search found a number of other potential places to hold a 'New York City Marathon', at least according to this article:

wblk.com

Here Are The 13 Other Places Named New York Around The World

yasminwblk

These are the 13 other places called New York around the world.

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If you're a sports organization and you are getting hardballed, you threaten to leave. If you don't you're gonna be seen as weak, and every other organization or individual that can find a grievance with you will start asking for money.

One of my life time favorite memories is the feeling of the bridge shaking on the bottom level as we ran over it.

Are they really making $750,000 for the 8 hours or so that the bridge is closed for traffic? If do, how is the MTA operating at a deficit?

IMO it's a good reason to start getting marathon on ESPN and other sports channels for exposure to grow the marathon audience. Once you have a good base start letting other cities in different states bid to host the major marathons in the US.

Push the finish back in Central Park and start on the other side of the bridge. Hate these shakedowns...

But then it wouldn't be in all 5 Boroughs.

Agree that it's typical bureaucracy, but if sanitation workers are employees (as opposed to contractors) the trash cans are almost certainly cheaper. The majority of their compensation comes in the form of benefits, especially retirement and medical. And they're almost impossible to fire.

With that said, if contractors, your point may hold. The real question is why they couldn't find a trash can for less than $10,000.

Running a transit system bigger than the rest of the US transit systems combined is expensive. Also live in a neighborhood that is blocked in by a marathon and then tell me it isn't a huge inconvenience on your day off to be stuck for several hours. NYRR should pay for the bridge if they are going to use it like everyone else does. Obviously they should negotiate a lower rate with MTA and give them some free ad time on the broadcast or just make them a "free sponsor".

The Governor of NY told the MTA to drop the issue. The NYRRs will not have to pay to use the Verranzano Bridge.

Let marathoners pay like cars. Cars weigh four thousand pounds and pay $15. Marathoners weigh two hundred pounds and should pay $0.75.

sanitation workers in my hometown are employed by the city itself. i remember the outrage over the price of public trash cans; especially because the cans were replaced by the following administration for an even higher cost per can and "recycling" cans (at a similar cost) were added as well.

Gotta pay the tens of thousands of illegals so need money from somewhere.

oh the irony

As ofa lon teh.

It looks like reason will prevail. Gov. Hochul says she directed the MTA to allow the marathon to proceed as it has .

From the NY Post:

"I’ve directed the MTA to fix this mess and allow the marathon to move forward as it always has,” the gov told The Post.

The MTA’s bean-counters cited the cash it loses from tolls it doesn’t collect while runners cross, but failed to count the $1 million-plus that, per The Post’s analysis, it rakes in from vastly expanded subway ridership that day (and likely more fares in the days before and after the race from runners and tourists who visit for the Marathon).

nypost.com

Three cheers for Kathy Hochul for nixing the MTA’s bid to hold up the NYC Marathon

@nypost

Given the New York City Marathon’s place in the city economy, it was insane for the MTA to demand $750,000 to let the race close the Verrazano Bridge — and smart of Hochul to stop the blackmail.…

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Because for eons greed used to be a sin, not a virtue. Now it's just called "ambition".