In order for one of the most controversial suggestions of Thursday's Ravitch Commission report--tolls at all of the now-free East River crossings--to become a reality, it appears right there may be too many political tolls for them to become a reality.
The group Transportation Alternatives has released a report titled “The Blueprint for the Upper West Side: A Roadmap for Truly Livable Streets,” their first neighborhood-wide plan to dramatically transform an area within the city into a more pedestrian and cyclist-friendly environment. (It's available for download here.) The plan would have the greatest impact along Broadway, which the TA suggests cutting the space available to automobiles from six lanes to four, giving cyclists a lane in each direction, blocked off with obstacles like leafy planters.
Last week the Department of Transportation began a pilot program that had been in the works that is "congestion pricing for parking" of sorts, doubling the rates on meters in the West Village. From noon until 4, meters now cost $2 an hour in what the DOT hopes will free up spaces and cut down on double-parking by creating greater turnover for the area's highly coveted street parking spaces. Vehicles in the West Village tend to camp out because the DOT rarely enforces the 1 or 2 hour limits that cars are supposed to leave within. Residents and business owners in the area think that with the price to park on the street still costing so much less than local garages, little will change other than the higher amount of revenue coming into the city. Phil Mortillaro the owner of Greenwich Locksmiths lamented the Times, “It would have been better to run the trial at night when this place is full of tourists, not just during the day.”
At a hearing about how the MTA could address its budget problems, some old and new ideas were tossed around. One notable suggestion, from former city transportation commissioner Luicius Riccio, was, per the NY Sun, "that the city should consider selling the Williamsburg and Manhattan bridges for $1 to the MTA, which could then charge tolls on commuters and use the revenue to finance mass transit improvements." Theodore Kheel, of Nurture New York's Nature (and good friend of Charles Rangel), also suggested some components of congestion pricing and reiterated his call to make the subways free. The Ravitch Commission, convened by Governor Paterson, will reportedly look at all the ideas--including "congestion pricing lite"--and will issue a report later this year about the state's growing transportation issues. Two more hearings will be held this month.
Mayor Bloomberg’s ambitious congestion pricing plan may be toast (or Governor Paterson may bring it back from the dead) but it seems that skyrocketing gas prices are succeeded where Hizzoner failed. The Times is reporting that traffic on the city’s bridges and tunnels dropped 4.7 percent in June, compared to the same time last year. Meanwhile, subway, bus, bicycle and commuter rail ridership has surged. A transportaion consultant predicts that “if we start eclipsing $5 a gallon, which we might over the summer, I think we might get very close,” to reducing traffic in Manhattan by 6.3 percent, which was the goal for Bloomberg’s congestion pricing plan. Go peak oil!
Even though Mayor Bloomberg doesn't belong to a political party, he has confirmed he will help NY State Republicans face re-election this year. Why? It boils down to his pet failed project, congestion pricing.
Gerritsen Beach posted this photograph of $4-and-over gasoline in Sheepshead Bay and asked, "Is this hell?" Well, for those drivers who could afford to fill up and head out of town this Memorial weekend, it might be heaven--the Daily News has two photos showing the contrast in traffic between this year's and last year's automobile rush on the Sunrise Highway.
New data supports what everyone's been thinking: Ridership for the subway--and almost every other mass transit option--is up versus last year. So far, subway ridership is up almost 5% for the first three months of 2008 versus same period last year, and bus ridership is up 1.1%.
Mayor Bloomberg didn't appear in public after Assembly Leader Sheldon put a nail in congestion pricing's coffin. But Bloomberg did issue an angry press release. The full text is after the jump (and he does thank many politicians who helped), but here's where he lets loose, after noting that while Washington D.C. was willing to give NYC $354 in federal funding, the State Assembly lacked leadership and courage in accepting new ideas:
"If that wasn't shameful enough, it takes a special type of cowardice for elected officials to refuse to stand up and vote their conscience- on an issue that has been debated, and amended significantly to resolve many outstanding issues, for more than a year. Every New Yorker has a right to know if the person they send to Albany was for or against better transit and cleaner air. People know where I stood, and where members of the City Council stood. They deserved at least that from Albany."Yes, the question of whether a vote should have been held (Silver claimed there wasn't enough support for a vote) will be brought up again and again. But now, as the Sun says, the relationship between Bloomberg and state lawmakers is "in tatters."
Assembly Leader Sheldon Silver announced the State Assembly is rejecting congestion pricing. The controversial plan, a pet project of Mayor Bloomberg's, was approved by the City Council last week and had support from Governor David Paterson and State Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno, making the Assembly's support the final, critical step to ensure $354 million in federal funds (which would have been directed towards the MTA's projects).
The fate of the controversial plan to charge drivers entering Manhattan below 60th Street lies with Albany, as state legislators must decide whether to approve the plan by midnight tonight. But Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver said last night, "There isn't a groundswell of support for it" among other Assembly members. But most papers are saying the plan is effectively dead.
State Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver has kept a relatively low profile over the past several months, as Senate Majority Leader Joe Bruno battled with Gov. Eliot Spitzer, who would go on to self-destruct in a highly public style. With Mayor Bloomberg's beloved congestion pricing plan past the City Council hurdle and with the support of our new Gov. Paterson, it now lays stalled in the Assembly, where whatever Silver says pretty much goes.
Democratic lawmakers in Albany seem poised to block Mayor Bloomberg’s congestion pricing plan, which attempts to reduce traffic by charging drivers $8 to enter Manhattan below 60th Street during peak hours. Though the plan was approved by the City Council on Monday, a “lively, sometimes emotional” meeting between state lawmakers yesterday ran over three and a half hours, and approximately 30 of them expressed opposition to the plan, with only four or five in favor.
Streetsblog has this terrific map (created by the Pratt Center for Community Development) illustrating the City Council's votes for and against congestion pricing, and laid NYC highways, subways, and commuter rail options over it.
NJ Governor Jon Corzine spoke out against NYC's congestion pricing plan, citing the Port Authority's proposed $1 billion worth of involvement to sweeten the deal.
Mayor Bloomberg was beaming when he, City Council Speaker Christine Quinn and other City Council members gathered for a press conference to hail the Council's approval of congestion pricing last night, 30 votes in favor to 20 against. Bloomberg, who introduced the idea of charging drivers entering Manhattan (at 60th street or below) a fee, said, "The sun is shining on New York City's future today."
Mayor Bloomberg appears to have the necessary votes to get congestion pricing passed in the City Council, because the Council scheduled a vote on the matter for this afternoon. The fact a vote has been suddenly scheduled is interpreted as a sign that fellow supporter Council Speaker Christine Quinn has enough votes for approval. The Mayor must have spent his weekend bending ears and twisting arms!
The Regional Planning Association released a map of what service and capital improvements tri-state riders can expect, even in the absence of approval for a congestion pricing plan. NYC Transit riders have a lot to be unhappy about following a fare hike, followed by the announcement that promised service improvements were off the table, followed by the prospect of yet another fare hike and even more service cuts. If Mayor Bloomberg's congestion pricing plan doesn't pass, it's uncertain how the MTA will be able to afford major capital improvements to the system, although a $1.5 billion windfall from the sale of the Hudson Yards should help.
Gov. Paterson is proposing cutting $60 million from the MTA's $10 billion operating budget. That's less than 1%, but further decreases in real estate revenues could make an even larger dent in the budget. According to the New York Post, real estate revenues were off $31 million this month, which could add up to hundreds of millions of dollars annually. The effect on riders will not make many happy: possible service cuts and another fare hike in the near future.
As the deadline nears for NYC and NY State approve congestion pricing and qualify for $354 million in federal money, the anti-congestion pricing contingent is working hard to convince constituents it's not a good idea. Streetsblog reveals there are automated robocalls asking New Yorkers to oppose congestion pricing. A Streetsblog commenter transcribed part of the call:
"[Do you trust the MTA]...the council members who support congestion pricing do. Every dollar in fees goes to the MTA. As for the promise that funds will only go for improvements, the MTA admits that 67% will be spent on everything BUT new bus and subway lines. Also, the MTA just canceled new improvements promised when fares were raised. Don't trust the MTA and call your council member and tell them not to trust them either."The MTA would be a beneficiary of congestion pricing revenue, but a recent poll suggested New Yorkers doubt mass transit will actually get better.
On the heels of Governor Paterson’s endorsement of Bloomberg’s congestion pricing plan comes a new Quinnipiac poll showing that New York State voters oppose it 50 – 33 percent. Most of the opposition has to do with a pervasive doubt that the revenue from the plan would actually go to improve mass transit, as promised.
Governor David Paterson has officially announced his support of congestion pricing, "Congestion Pricing addresses two urgent concerns of the residents of New York City and its suburbs: the need to reduce congestion on our streets and roads, and thereby reduce pollution and global warming; and the need to raise significant revenue for mass transit improvements."
If you're a politician who has opposed Mayor Bloomberg's congestion pricing plan, watch out! At a Crain's business breakfast, Bloomberg said, regarding Representative Anthony Weiner's suggestion that congestion pricing would mean less federal funding (did Weiner forget the feds are offering $354 million), "That is one of the stupider things I’ve ever heard said."
Today Mayor Bloomberg and DOT Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan revealed details about their Residential Parking Permit (RPP) proposal, which would restrict parking in some neighborhoods to locals during specific times. The plan is part of the mayor’s Congestion Pricing proposal and the RPP program is designed to foil commuters who would drive into neighborhoods just outside the congestion pricing zone, leave their cars for the day on a residential street, and then take the subways or buses into Manhattan to avoid paying a congestion fee.
A NY Times survey shows City Council members, if they were to vote today, oppose the congestion pricing plan 2-1. Which means it's not just Albany legislators that Mayor Bloomberg has to politick to get his congestion pricing plan passed.
A New York State Assemblyman ticked off about congestion pricing for suburban drivers is retaliating by proposing a $4-per-ride surcharge for taxi riders, rather than the congestion fee of $8 for motorists entering Manhattan below 60th St. That taxis are another form of mass transit that allow New Yorkers to get around without owning a car escapes Assemblyman Richard Brodsky, whose district includes parts of Westchester County.
The MTA unveiled its 2008-2013 Capital Plan, which explained almost $30 billion will be needed to improve mass transit and complete projects like the Second Avenue Subway, the East Side Access plan and more by 2030 (many of those projects will also be delayed). Though the current MTA capital plan doesn't expire until next year, the MTA presented this plan because the state congestion pricing legislation required them to present a plan by the end of the first quarter of 2008.
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.Continue reading "Bloomberg Accepts Commission's Modified Congestion Pricing Plan "
"The commission did a great job of taking the mayor's plan and improving it by incorporating feedback from the public. The process was outstanding. I really hope that the Council and Assembly will see the wisdom in passing this and allowing this pilot project to go forward.. If they do, NYC will immediately be a model for 21st cent urban sustainability and any example to other cities around the world."
add to digg
add to stumble upon
add to reddit
email this
tweet this
add to facebook
