NYC Traffic Fee Plan Gets Red Light

(AP)  Lawmakers rejected a proposal on Monday to charge Manhattan motorists an extra fee to drive in the city, a plan advocates hoped would reduce traffic and curb pollution.

Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver announced the decision after a survey of Democratic Assembly members in a private conference. The decision comes after days of closed-door negotiations, and means the city will forfeit $354 million in federal funding for trying to kick-start the plan.

The concept aimed to cut traffic and pollution by forcing more commuters onto mass transit. It would have charged most drivers $8 to drive below 60th Street between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. Monday through Friday. Truckers would have paid $21.

The Legislature faced a Monday deadline to act on Mayor Michael Bloomberg's proposal, which was already endorsed by Democratic Gov. David Paterson, the Republican-led Senate and the City Council.

Bloomberg spokesman Stu Loeser did not immediately comment.

The plan ran into strenuous objections from legislators from outer boroughs and New York City suburbs who said it would unfairly target commuters and their constituents.

"The conference has decided that they are not prepared to do congestion pricing," Silver said. "Many members just don't believe in the concept. Many think this proposal is flawed. It will not be on the floor of the Assembly," he said.

Silver said part of the problem with the proposal, which Bloomberg had said could begin next year, is that it doesn't immediately provide funding to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. He said the agency that runs the city's mass transit is already underfunded and needs to be bolstered before it takes on more commuters.

[shoppingnut-2009]

They say the MTA couldn''t handle it, that is a crock because after 9/11 no one was allowed to drive in, only essential vehicles. The 6-8 months after 9/11 was the best commute I''ve ever had. The MTA isn''t underfunded, they just mismanage their money like everyone else. And besides, we all know that this increase in toll money would never make it''s way to the MTA anyway, who are they kidding with that one.

What needs to be done is that they should restrict deliveries into manhattan during morning rush hour so they aren''t blocking the streets and causing traffic. I don''t know how they were planning on tolling the Brooklyn, Manhattan, Williamsburg and 59th St. bridges because they are all free now, so you''d have to put a toll on them and people would go nuts if that happened.

They need to eliminate the tax credit companies get for reimbursing employees who drive into work, that will help reduce traffic. Give people who use mass transit some type of tax credit, you would need to have a certain amount of receipts from purchasing train/bus tickets.

[keithle1]

Walk? Have mercy. Some people are too fat to walk.

[keithle1]

Why penalize truckers by making them pay $21? What choice do they have?

[cyberus-2009]

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Why not just ban cars in the city center? Other countries have done this and it works fine. Why do you need a car in NY City/Manhattan anyway, you can walk anywhere you want to go?

Posted by tomanyt
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Now while I am against the "fee to enter" concept (as mentioned in earlier post), if they banned anything but public transport and emergency vehicles while it might make people unhappy it would be fair. My issue was with making it more expensive which IMO is low-income discrimination.

It hasn''t worked well in London at all.

They collect the money, and then in turn DO NOT spend it all on public transportation. It is just another tax income.

It is getting worse in London, allowing smaller cars for free and greatly increasing the fee for other cars. Makes no sense.

[kkcbs]

This plan has worked very well in London for many years. Why are all of you people so unwilling to try something possitive?

[culturechang]

I am suprised they rejected. Govt is alway looking for a way to get bigger and increase revenue.

[newsjunky5]

Closing the city center to traffic is a good idea. It treats everyone equally.
Often equality under the law is circumvented by charging a high fee. This has the added incentive of the income it brings in. It also is an incentive not to do anything about congestion.
If your city adopts "hot lanes" where you pay for a less congested (formerly free) lane, consider the other lanes are going to get worse. And the lawmakers will have to chose to give up that revenue to solve any future traffic problems.

[mjvw2]

A hot dog is a type of fully-cooked, cured and/or smoked moist sausage of soft, even, texture and flavor. It is usually placed hot in a soft, sliced bun of approximately the same length as the sausage, and optionally garnished with condiments and toppings.

[piano_man2]

Anyone who concocts a scheme like this one is an idiot and should be ignored as well as pitied!!!