New York City Council Supports Congestion Pricing Plan, 30-20. . . . Now, on to Albany.

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Last night the New York City Council endorsed Mayor Bloomberg’s Congestion Pricing proposal by a margin of ten votes. The plan, which would introduce a charge on automobile commutes to and within Manhattan’s central business district, is designed to curb congestion, cut commute times, help finance mass transit expansion, improve air quality and create more pedestrian-friendly streetscapes. (For an overview of the policy’s makeup and benefits, please take a look at Transportation Alternative’s excellent synopsis.)

Approval by the City Council was a precondition imposed by the State Legislature last June when the original plan made it’s first trip to Albany. The Legislature must now endorse the plan by next Monday April 7th if the City is to be eligible for $354 million in federal funds for mass transit improvements. While Governor James Paterson and Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno have expressed their full support for congestion pricing, support in the State Assembly, from the top down, appears more tenuous, making it likely that the plan’s fate will ultimately lie in that body.

To find out who your Assembly Member is and how to contact them, visit the New York Board of Election’s interactive website.


Posted on Tuesday, April 1st, 2008 at 9:42 am | Tagged in Solar One | posted by Neidl

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