According to an article in the New York Times, in 2011 the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey was planning to increase the tolls on the bridges and tunnels crossing the Hudson River by as much as 50 percent. According to the article, “Revenue from ……the higher tolls would raise an additional $720 million for the agency…” is the Port Authority assuming that the demand for using bridges and tunnels crossing the Hudson is elastic or inelastic? Why might the Port Authority be reasonably confident in this assumption?
(Based on Michael M. Grynbaum, “Port Authority Seeks Big Tool Increase,” New York Times, August 5, 2011).