It’s a crash waiting to happen.
Organizers of the Five Boroughs Bike Tour, in which 32,000 people bike across New York City on Sunday, say the MTA is seeking hundreds of thousands of dollars for the popular event, which will use the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge next year. He said he was concerned that this might be the case.
Last month, after outrage erupted over the MTA’s plan to collect $750,000 in tolls for the New York City Marathon, including a report in the Post, Gov. Cathy Hochul rushed to force the agency to pump the brakes. instructed.
But Bicycle Tours, which was the subject of similar cash-grab demands, received no such reprieve, despite inquiries from the Post at the time.
“When the governor directed the MTA to fix this mess, she was silent about Bike New York and the Five Borough Bike Tour. She was referring to the marathon. So we don’t know.” Kenneth Poziva, CEO of Bike New York, which organizes the tour, told the Post.
Pojba said he’s concerned that bike tours will be asked to come up with hundreds of thousands of dollars for next year’s event because the MTA hasn’t said anything.
The money is intended to replace the MTA with lost toll revenue while the lower deck of the Velazno Bridge was closed to bicyclists, the agency previously announced.
“We don’t have the budget for the marathon, so it’s going to sink,” Požiba said.
“We’re small. So we’re very worried, but we don’t know.”
Posiva said it cost Bike New York about $90,000 to use Verrazzano last year. This is overtime and other labor costs associated with closing the lower deck of the bridge.
MTA spokesman Aaron Donovan told the Post in a statement that this year’s bill would be similar, adding, “We have worked with event organizers to reduce costs as much as possible.”
The MTA has not commented on whether it will try to collect fees for future bike tours.
The tour winds 40 miles through the city, starting in Lower Manhattan and ending in Staten Island. The event, which began in 1977, is not an elite race like the New York City Marathon, but a fun race for all-comers, Pojba said.
Bike New York is charging $139 to participate in this year’s tour.
Pojiba also disputes the MTA’s original request for additional funding.
“They haven’t lost any income,” he insisted.
“They have not been able to prove to us that their income is decreasing.”
“If the MTA has a budget problem, they need to solve it. And don’t chase after an event that’s great for New York.”
Hochul’s office did not respond to a request for comment.
