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Weighing in on the modified congestion pricing plan the Traffic Congestion Mitigation Commission recommended, Mayor Bloomberg said:
"The Commission has done a thorough and thoughtful job. They've taken testimony from hundreds of residents, community leaders and civic organizations. They've held dozens of public meetings and have analyzed mountains of data. Although the final recommendation varies from our original proposal, I accept it.The commission, made up of appointees from the Mayor, Governor, City Council, State Senate, and State Assembly, voted 13-2 for a plan that would charge drivers a fee when traveling below 60th Street in Manhattan (the mayor's plan would have charged a fee for driving below 86th Street). Overall, the plan would raise $491 million for mass transit."We will work with our partners in the Council and the State Legislature, and with Governor Spitzer, to make sure that we enact a proposal that meets our goals by March 31st. New York cannot afford to walk away from hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funds and a guaranteed revenue stream for the MTA's capital plan - which is necessary if we're going to continue to grow and thrive - and we can't afford to do nothing about traffic choking congestion, which is costing our City billions and polluting our air."
The Feds have promised over $350 million, if the plan is enacted. There is also a $1 charge for cab or Town car rides in and out of the zone. E-Z Pass drivers who pay the fee would get a credit for bridge or tunnel tolls.
The Daily News notes, "It would also eliminate the only free route between the Bronx and Brooklyn or Queens: Drivers using the FDR Drive and an East River bridge would have to pay the $8 fee, even if they didn't stop in Manhattan." Which prompted Queens Councilwoman Melinda Katz to say it's
an unfair tax on commuters in the four boroughs outside Manhattan...There are still no guarantees that projected revenues generated from the congesting pricing plan will be spent on mass transit."
Assembly Leader Sheldon Silver, who had been dragging his feet on the plan last summer, thinks there's more work to be done, but Governor Spitzer thinks there's upside because "what you're getting in return is a much better developer, much more efficient and effective transportation system which will get you to the downtown region at a better price and faster."
Image from the commisson's report; VMT=Vehicle Miles Traveled
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The Daily News (or Melinda Katz) is incorrect in saying that it eliminates the only free route between the Bronx and Brooklyn or Queens. It eliminates one route that uses Manhattan's waterfront parks as free bypasses! (And I won't describe the free alternatives as more people don't need to know them.)
if i drive over the brooklyn bridge will i be charged a fee?
The plan would cut Manhattan traffic by 6.8% ... mean no increase for many New Jersey and Long Island drivers, who would be credited for tolls they already paid on MTA and Port Authority bridges and tunnels ... eliminate the only free route between the Bronx and Brooklyn or Queens: Drivers using the FDR Drive and an East River bridge would have to pay the $8 fee, even if they didn't stop in Manhattan.
Even proponents project traffic would only only be cut 6%. So no change in congestion.
No increase in costs to NJ and LI drivers?
Charge $8 to people who aren't even driving into Manhattan?
idiots.
We desperately need a plan, but I'm afraid EKS above has a point... maybe this one isn't it.
Every report I've seen said that the people who commute into the city are a big part of the problem. And yet this plan does nothing to discourage people from driving in from NJ or LI.
Seems to me that it was either written up to get the support of the suburban legislators (who represent the people we're supposed to be fighting) or, what I really suspect, is that it was put together to give the Legislature something to vote down so the whole thing would go away.
Ha. Yeah right.
This doesn't go anywhere, and if it does, the money will be rolled into everything but the mass transit system once the city gets that 350 million from the Feds.
I can't believe "Gridlock" Sam Schwartz isn't promoting his congestion pricing plan from the rooftops:
http://www.gridlocksam.com/congpri.pdf
I'm not a fan of congestion pricing, but the gridlocksam slideshow, while having some flaws, at least makes a decent argument for a way it could be accomplished by revamping the entire system. The slideshow makes clear that the first step to make change is to eliminate the fractured control of things.
But the ones who will "pay" are those who can't afford it. MTA bigwigs and the Mayor and the Central Park Conservancy crowd (and the Times owners?) don't care if they have to pay a few bucks a day more so their limos can still be sitting double parked all week.
You want to reduce congestion? Take away all the city, state and federal non-emergency, non law-enforcement vehicles, and take away their street parking passes.
Let the MTA Board members, the "inspectors" and their "managers" take public transportation to their meetings.
Those of us small business owners in the outer boroughs AND in manhattan who have to deliver our goods and materials & services to midtown are going to take it in the rear for the condescending snobs.
Every time a housepainter or a plumber or a baker comes across the "border" in midtown to drop off his paint or his pipes or his bagels to his customers he is going to pay, but of course the envirosnobs who really want to break NYC back to a walking mall don't care, because they can afford it when we small biz owners have to raise our prices to cover the new daily "tolls".
Cut the govt vehicles, create tax incentives (if you must) for businesses in 100% commercial neighborhoods to take their deliveries at night, but keep govt "planners" who have already screwed up our schools and almost everything else in NYC out of our streets.