Slight Movement on Congestion Pricing in Albany

Yesterday, The Politicker reported that Assembly Leader Sheldon Silver "quietly" met with Governor Spitzer and Senate Leader Bruno (separately) and that congestion pricing was one of the topics discussed. Silver has publicly doubted the feasibility of Mayor Bloomberg's congestion pricing plan, leading the Mayor to go on the offensive and try to shame Silver and other lawmakers for holding up the legislation - especially when there's $500 million in federal funds for the taking.

Spitzer and Bruno both support the congestion pricing plan conceptually. A Spitzer spokesperson said of the meeting, "We're definitely trying to get movement," while City Hall told the Daily News, "he fact that people who for several weeks haven't had a conversation that we're aware of are sitting down to talk can only be seen as positive." And Silver's semi-aboutface is just in time for the Environmental Defense's video, which has kids rapping/asking "Sheldon Silver, do you care about the quality of our air?"

Streetsblog adds that Assemblyman Richard Brodsky, a vocal congestion pricing opponent, may have spoken incorrectly about the city not having mass transit expansion plans - stuck in Albany, there's a $300 million budget request for Bus Rapid Transit that city made.

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By Jen Chung in News on July 11, 2007 1:03 PM

Comments [rss]

guest

Guest 8, the number probably comes from one of the studies cited in Shoup's The High Cost of Free Parking. Reducing the number of spots will reduce the number of foragers, since they will all calculate they will need to forage longer and harder to find on street parking. It just won't be as much of a reduction as you would get by directly raising the price in money, instead of time, since the congestion time the foragers impose (externalize, if you will) is not paid by them.

JMH

Silver is a jackass.

guest

"more than half of the people who are driving the streets at any given time are looking for parking."

And I base this statistic, on absolutely nothing!

guest

I heard that song in Jay-Z's 40/40 club last night.

guest

FYI, Silver said on WCBS-AM today the plan is dead for this summer, but can be discussed later.

The Bloomberg strong-arm tactic doesn't work with Shelly, the old fool.

guest

I'm also a car owner, but I'm in Brooklyn. I'm all for congestion pricing. I think it should be 24 hours a day, but on a sliding scale: Less at 2 AM than at 5 PM. If the taxis can handle a surcharge for prime hours, why not the bridges? And make it: $2 - $8.

Also, truck deliveries, all truck deliveries, should happen between 1 AM and 5 AM. Yeah, and some streets should be blocked off on the weekends. And all the celebrities and environmental activists who talk about saving the environment should stop flying around the world in polluting planes so much. Especially in private jets. I could go on and on and on...

guest

In one of the previous posts on this topic, one of the advisors suggested that NYC eliminate parking on the avenues. That is the most absurd thing I've heard regarding this situation -- studies have shown that more than half of the people who are driving the streets at any given time are looking for parking. If NYC is looking for a way to INCREASE congestion, then that would surely be the quickest route.

For the record - I am a car owner who lives in lower Manhattan, so I am one of the few who will be most affected by it, and I am all for it.

Tim N.

Brodsky made a mistake?

Shocking.

bxbrian

"We're definitely to get movement," while City Hall told the Daily News, "he fact that people...

Huh?

guest

Silver is a useless politician. He is against anything and everything that doesn't suit him personally. His district, the LES (which I am in) surely is behind congestion pricing.