Opinion - MTA's Marathon Toll: A Bridge Too Far?

So according to the New York Times the MTA Tunnels and Bridges, a subdivision of the lads who run the buses and subways in New York, are looking for a whopping $750,000 (€692,000) from the New York marathon organisers to compensate them for "loss" of revenue from the temporary closure of the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge to accommodate marathon runners.

What a shower of chancers. I guess they're too busy tallying up their losses to pay any attention to all the extra public transportation revenue that's generated from runners and tourists flooding into the city during the marathon week. These people line their pockets over this period faster then you can say "stand clear of the closing doors please".

You'd swear they were rerouting the marathon through their subway tunnels! Although knowing the MTA they'd find a way to charge runners for each mile they ran underground. "Attention runners please swipe your Metrocard before exiting the tunnel. Failure to do so will result in a hefty fine".

Or how's this for a solution? Maybe we could organise a charity fun run where all the race proceeds go directly to the MTA. That way they can afford to keep the bridge open and maybe even fix a subway station or two...