Jose Manuel Mejorada Gervoles is overjoyed to see spectators near the 11 mile mark of the New York City Half Marathon, Sunday, March 17, 2024.
S© Kevin R. Wexler / NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK
(New York, NY) – Governor Kathy Hochul stepped in, and New York’s transit agency backed down. After the MTA attempted to force the New York City Marathon cough up a $750,000 fee for each race in November, the idea is being abandoned. Apparently, Hochul ordered the MTA to stop pursuing the effort.
The MTA said it would prohibit the marathon from using both spans of the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge if the New York Road Runners didn’t pay the toll. Their argument centered on lost toll revenue, given no cars use the bridge during the morning of the race — which begins in Staten Island and crosses over the bridge into Brooklyn.
In response, the New York Road Runners indicated a willingness to negotiate but also noted the MTA benefits from the widespread use of subways on marathon day. Now, Governor Hochul has suggested perhaps the New York Road Runners can buy advertising space in city buses and trains in order to compensate.
