New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-04-17
ro,,s on rur RR,DGE PROMENADE.

TOLLS ON THE BRIDGE PROMENADE
There is no marked degree of public interest
al present in the question OF making the Bridge
nromonoda freo N understands, and therefore tho
action of the Bridge Trustees on Monday awak-
one some SUNRISE What the trustees did was
10 adont n resolution declaring that =" 1t Is tho
Judgment of the Board that from ana alter July
1, 1891 the collection OF tolls 1or passing over
thc promenade of the Brooklyn Bridge should
be abolished, and said promenade opened Tor
free nassage.n The trustees, however, have no
authority to make any part OF the structure
under their control free, and accordingly they
roferred the matter to their counsel. instructing
him 70 draft bill providing for the abolition
Of tolls after the date named. Such a bill was
introduced by Senator Jacobs yesterday, but the
session of the Legislature is so far advanced thai
there is small likelihood of its passage this year.
Hence the question can scarcely be said To DC
a practical one at present.
Virtually the Bridge promenade is free now
since people buying tickets in packages--as all
babitnal users of this part of the structure may
he presumed to do-can cross for the nominal
cost of one-fifth of cent. The price OF single
fare is one cent. The net income derived from
this source is about $4,000 year, since the
printing, sale and collection of the tickets
amount to about $4,000 and the receipts from
foot passengers to $4,000. The preamble to
the resolution adopted by the trustees is pal
pably misleading where it says that for the year
ending with last November the expenditures
were in excess of the receipts to the amount OF
S12,S56 Here there is included in the ex-
pendituIes the cost of policing the promenade,
and it is perfectly plain that more policemen
will be required if the promenade is made free
than are needed at present. With no charge
for the use of the Bridge it is certain that at
times it would be dangerously overcrowded, as
in the event of great pageant upon the water
or of big fire on the waterfront. Under such
circumstances a repetition Of the fatal panic
which made Decoration Day in 1ss3-less than
week after the Bridge was opened-sO sadly
memorable is not impossible When in 1884
there was movement to make the promenade
free the danger of a repetition of that occur
renee was used as an effective cOunter-argH-
ment. Besides this there is strong probability
that the promenade would be used by lOafers, in
case of the abolition Of tolls, to 50 great an eX
tent as to make it unpleasant for decent and
orderly people to walk there
We can see no good reason then for the action
contemplated by the trustees-nOt that the
amount received from the small toll charged is
worth serious consideration, but because of the
abuses and nuisances that would almost certain
" follow the adoption of such policy. There
are those who seem to be deeply impressed with
the mere idea of what is called a free bridge"
and who even predict that Brooklyn will gain
in population thereby. Such a conception Of
the situation is wholly false, and the expression
of it is without weight as an argument.