June 7, 2007
Support for Bloomberg's Congestion Pricing Plans
A number of politicians offered their support (though not 100%) of Mayor Bloomberg's Voldemort, aka congestion pricing, today. U.S. Transportation Secretary Mary Peters appeared with Governor Eliot Spitzer and Bloomberg at a press conference today, with Peters saying, "This plan will keep the city that never sleeps from becoming the city that never moves." She also put some pressure on the state Legislature to approve the just submitted S. 6068, the NY State Senate's congestion pricing legislation, by saying that in order for the city to continue to qualify for federal transportation grants, it needs to pass congestion pricing.
The Empire Zone, though, describes Peters' and Spitzer's congestion pricing support as "qualified":
Mr. Spitzer said at a news conference this morning, “There will always be some congestion and the good news is there is economic growth and there’s vitality in the city.” The goal, he said, is to mitigate the effects of congestion. The governor appeared swayed by the mayor’s arguments that the plan would help the Metropolitan Transportation Authority: “I would just reinforce the mayor’s point about the enormity of the capital investments that will be made in the mass transportation system over the next decade. These are decade-long investments, but they will be enormous.”NY Senate Majority Leader Joe Bruno supports the the plan, but it's unclear how Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver feels.
You can download a 154-page PDF of the legislation at Streetsblog, which mentioned how the Daily Politics' Elizabeth Benjamin marveled at the speed at which the bill got drafted: "As recently as Monday I was talking to lawmakers in Albany who said they had not seen a whole bill from the Bloomberg administration, but rather pieces of a bill that had holes large enough to drive a delivery truck through."
Photograph of Bloomberg at this morning's press conference, with Spitzer and Peters, by Richard Drew
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$21 for trucks to enter Manhattan. Higher prices at Fresh Direct to follow?
I'd also like to add they should repeal the break residents get on the parking tax, at least in Manhattan. Nobody will be able to claim it hurts the working poor. Take a look into a typical garage below 96th street and 75% of the cars are BMWs and Mercedes and Volvos. And not the entry level models either.
[2] everyone else shouldn't have to pay for your jealousy and inability to make anything of your life.
let's see, the average fresh direct truck makes 40-50 deliveries over the course of the day (according to a brochure I got in my last order). A $21 charge means roughly an extra $.50 a delivery. I think I can live with that. Most other trucks that make commercial deliveries enter the city outside of the congestion pricing hours anyway, so I don't think you will see a huge impact.
I like how Spitzer looks like a boozed-up Kennedy in that photo. Onward to the presidency...
I live in brooklyn, i was born in brooklyn, i've been here my whole life with the exception of a few stints at various schools and my thought goes like this. I live here, i pay city taxes to the city of new york, i pay state taxes to the state of new york within which new york city exists and yes i pay federal taxes to the united states of which one is new york state. As i see it i'm paying three ways for my surrounding, environment, infrastructure and community plus i am dealing with a higher cost of living than others.
Now i agree that congestion is bad at time and yes the city making revue is good but why can't this pricing plan apply to NON-NEW YORK CITY dwellers? how about $0 if you live within the five boros, $5 for new york state residents living outside the five boros and than finally $10 for all "out of state dwellers".
I already pay to live here and tourism has always been a good way to raise money while not leaning on the backs of residents. So make the visitor pay to bring a car into the city, they can always opt to take the train in and than take either the subway or even cabs around once here and both of those are also good for the economy.
"boo hoo i pay a lot of taxes." cry me a river. so do i. it's called congestion pricing:
"The goal, he said, is to mitigate the effects of congestion." if u can't afford it, maybe u should move.
What about people who are disabled and drive to dialysis centers, in and out 6 times a week? They do not do it by choice.