§ 538 — Tolls, rules and regulations

§ 538. Tolls, rules and regulations. 1. The authority shall have power\nto make rules and regulations for the preservation and use of the\nbridges and for the payment of tolls. Such rules and regulations shall\nbe subject to the approval of the commissioner. Violations of such rules\nshall constitute an offense punishable by a fine of not more than one\nhundred dollars; provided, however, that violators of such rules\nrelating to traffic or pedestrian use of a bridge or highway within the\njurisdiction of the authority, shall be apprehended and prosecuted in\nthe same manner as provided for the apprehension and prosecution of\nviolators of the vehicle and traffic law who commit violations thereof\nupon the public highways. For the purpose of conferring jurisdiction\nupon courts and judicial officers generally, violations of those rules\nof the authority which are defined as offenses shall nevertheless be\ndeemed misdemeanors for the sole purpose of making applicable all\nprocedural provisions of law relating to misdemeanors. The rates of\ntolls shall be determined by the authority subject to the approval of\nthe commissioner, and to the provisions and limitations of any agreement\nwith the bondholders or noteholders. Nothing herein shall give the\ncommissioner any power or authority to require any act or thing which\nwill constitute a breach of any agreement with the bondholders or\nnoteholders.\n 2. The authority shall continue to maintain and collect tolls on the\nbridges and shall, subject to the terms of any agreement, now\noutstanding or hereafter made, with bondholders or note holders or with\nthe commissioner, apply tolls and other revenues from the operation of\nthe bridges to the following charges in the order named:\n (a) For payment of the cost of maintenance and operation of the\nbridges;\n (b) For payment of installments of principal and of interest maturing\nupon bonds of the authority, if any;\n (c) For payments from time to time in such amounts as the authority\nshall deem necessary to be contributed to a city pursuant to subdivision\nten-b of section five hundred twenty-eight of this chapter.\n 3. None of the bridges constructed prior to January first, nineteen\nhundred fifty-eight, shall be free from tolls until all of such bridges\nare free therefrom, subject to such agreements with bondholders and\nnoteholders as may be made as hereinafter provided, and the rates of\ntolls on the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Mid-Hudson bridge, the\nKingston-Rhinecliff bridge, the Bear Mountain bridge, the Rip Van Winkle\nbridge, and the Hamilton Fish Newburgh-Beacon bridge shall be uniform.\n