New York Congestion Pricing Plan.. 8 dollars?!?!?

[Pemolis]

U.S. Secretary of Transportation Mary Peters said Thursday that she's behind Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s congestion pricing plan after meeting with the mayor and Governor Eliot Spitzer this morning.

Bloomberg has proposed charging drivers $8 to enter the busiest areas of Manhattan during rush hour.

Thursday, Peters announced that New York is one of nine cities to be eligible for $500 million in federal funds to help implement the plan. The federal government will decide in August which city gets the money.

"This plan is bold, it's brave and it's long overdue,” said Peters. “It has a lot of daring, but with a little luck and the support of Albany, this plan just may have what it takes to get New York moving again, something that I think most of us in the Big Apple would have thought was next to impossible, but indeed it is not."

The funding would go towards the purchase of a complex system of cameras and scanners to collect the tolls.

"To produce better mass transit, clean our air, keep our economy strong and help reduce global warming, our pilot program on congestion pricing is an idea whose time has come,” said Bloomberg.

The mayor added that traffic congestion leads to health and economic problems that have to be addressed and Peters agreed.

"This plan will keep the city that never sleeps from becoming the city that never moves,” said Peters. “It cannot be easy for a politician to propose charging commuters more money to enter Manhattan, but the mayor's plan is sound, and the mayor's plan will work."

The governor also said Thursday that he favors the plan in concept, but congestion pricing still needs to be approved by the full state legislature.

"I am in favor of embracing a model relating to congestion pricing,” said Spitzer. "We are, as the mayor said, going to work together to make this happen and to work with our friends and allies in Albany."

The Democrat says his approval comes at his own political peril. Suburban voters are key to statewide races, and commuters from outside Manhattan do not want to start paying to pay to come in.

Other opponents to the plan include small businesses and those from the outer boroughs, especially seniors who come to Midtown Manhattan for medical treatment.

Debate on the plan has already started in Albany, where Senate Majority Leader Joe Bruno introduced a similar bill Thursday.

"We have a problem and you have to do something about it,” said Bruno. “And the question is, how do you approach the solution to the problem?"

Friday, NY1 will begin live coverage at 10 a.m. as the mayor tries to sell his plan at a special assembly committee hearing in Midtown.

http://www.ny1.com/ny1/content/index.jsp?stid=1&aid=70493

[attgig]

“It cannot be easy for a politician to propose charging commuters more money to enter Manhattan,

very true.
it's a REALLY REALLY sucky toll, but may be necessary.

[ArkiStan]

Ask New Yorkers. I bet very few will have a problem with this.

[gwilks98]

Wow...so only the rich get to drive their cars. That's a wonderful solution.

[Airencracken]

It isn't about congestion, it's about money like everything else connected to the corporate pleasing entity we call the government.

[ray]

If you've ever been to Manhattan, you probably noticed that you don't need a car. $8 does suck, but if it improves traffic in the city then I say go for it.

[Paymaster]

Wow...so only the rich get to drive their cars. That's a wonderful solution.

Isn't that already the case in New York? I've known a number of people that lived there, and every time we visited Manhattan we took public transport. You had to be rich just to park anywhere!

[Memo]

It's not that bad. You already pay $6 toll on the Lincoln Tunnel and $4.50 on the bridges. So it's 2-$3.50 more. The $8 would not in addition to the current tolls.

[JackHammer]

It's funny how people who are for this plan are either rich or don't live in the city or surrounding areas. I don't know I'm a Queens boy and I work in Manhattan. I don't drive to the city regularly for work but I am pretty against this. I don't think it'll curb congestion. I see it as another way to get money out of our pockets. Look at London, congestion is just as bad and they have something like this. I don't know. It's always something with this Bloomberg guy.

[Memo]

I don't support it, hell, I don't support toll roads. I'm just saying, they wouldn't be ****ing you much harder than they already are. And for the record, I will be moving to Fairfield County in CT in a couple of weeks so I will be living in the surrounding areas :P.

[attgig]

for the record, grew up in north jersey suburb. 95% of the time, took bus into the city (prolly also because i didn't get to start driving till towards the end but still).... anyways, my parents still live in jersey, and if i go into the city now, i still take the bus.

[VTGreg]

What type of an impact will this have taxi cab fares? I can guarantee you that they won't absorb the cost.

[ArkiStan]

Wow...so only the rich get to drive their cars. That's a wonderful solution.

As paymaster said, that's already the case. It costs around $18 to park for 30 minutes in a typical mid-town manhattan parking garage. Street parking is possible, but difficult.

It's gonna hit the businesses hard, which sucks. But hopefully it'll get the weekend B&T partiers to use public transport, which should have some merit.

[gwilks98]

As paymaster said, that's already the case. It costs around $18 to park for 30 minutes in a typical mid-town manhattan parking garage. Street parking is possible, but difficult.

It's gonna hit the businesses hard, which sucks. But hopefully it'll get the weekend B&T partiers to use public transport, which should have some merit.

Why allow anyone to drive down there then? Block everything off and run "pay as you go" busses or trams.

Never been to manhattan....is that even possible?

It seems like allowing only the wealthy the priveledge just promotes a caste system. It doesn't seem right.

[Napoleon54]

As paymaster said, that's already the case. It costs around $18 to park for 30 minutes in a typical mid-town manhattan parking garage. Street parking is possible, but difficult.

It's gonna hit the businesses hard, which sucks. But hopefully it'll get the weekend B&T partiers to use public transport, which should have some merit.

What's B&T?

[Skidude]

As somebody who lives in Manhattan, I think it's a great idea. As it stands, the vast majority of traffic is not even caused by "rich" people. I read somewhere a few weeks ago that only ~20% of finance workers in Manhattan drive into the city. However, 50% of all city and service workers drive in.

Huh?

I also think that part of the plan is to eliminate the free parking passes that public employees receive.

Ever try to take a cab anywhere during "rush hour"? Going x-town even a few blocks takes forever because of the congestion. I think that this will cut the problem down.

[Markel]

Now the ever-vigilant Chicago city counsel has decided to consider charging a fee for driving into downtown Chicago. Maybe it's time for the suburbs to consider charging a fee for Chicago residents to drive into our area?

[Jeffbx]

I read somewhere a few weeks ago that only ~20% of finance workers in Manhattan drive into the city. However, 50% of all city and service workers drive in.

Huh?

Maybe the other 80% of the finance workers already live in Manhattan?

[Napoleon54]

Maybe the other 80% of the finance workers already live in Manhattan?

I'm thinkin' the finance people are more conscious of their cost of living expenses and thus better appreciate the benefits of using mass transit.

[Skidude]

Maybe the other 80% of the finance workers already live in Manhattan?

Out of the 15 guys under my MD, I am the only one who lives in Manhattan. Every single one commutes on the train from CT, NJ, NY...etc.

[cruelpupet]

What's B&T?


Bridge and tunnel...ie people from outside manhattan

[cruelpupet]

BTW this is a stupid idea, and wont do much to ease congestion. If they really want to cut down on pollution, then you make the traffic worse and promote public transportation.

Oh and how about speeding up that whole process of putting up signs that say when the next train will be there...like they have had in other cities all over the world for years.

[Pemolis]

Somethings extremely weird here.

Pricing got squashed immediately. Apparently Bloomberg would get a 250 Million dollar grant from the federal government if they did the plan.

But the plan got squashed. Now it came back less than 3 weeks later.. and the grant doubled to 500 million.

Someone here is planning on making themselves Very Rich here. It seems that activists have been hired to basically bitch about the benefits of a pricing plan.

Somethings extremely corrupt here.

[Butch]

Frankly, I don't see the problem. Everything costs more in Manhattan. You pay more for food, clothes, housing, etc., because you're using the valuable commodity of space. Why shouldn't driving in Manhattan be more expensive? You often need to pay a toll to use roads - why shouldn't Manhattan essentially be one high-traffic toll road?

The only problem I have is that people who already live in Manhattan would pay extra . . . they're already paying a hell of a lot extra to live there and they're not generating much of the traffic. I think the charts should only be levied on those coming in from outside - OR, if Manhattan residents have to pay, they should have the option to to pay a flat rate of some sort.

[attgig]

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2007-07-17-nyc-congestion_N.htm


NEW YORK (AP) — Mayor Michael Bloomberg conceded failure Tuesday on his controversial plan to reduce traffic by charging drivers extra fees to enter Manhattan's most congested neighborhoods. A day earlier, the plan had collapsed in the state Capitol.

"I can't ascribe motives to the lack of action in Albany, but I can definitively say the environment and the future quality of life in New York took a beating," Bloomberg said in a statement.

Bloomberg proposed the congestion pricing plan, similar to one in London, less than three months ago as part of a wide-ranging package of environmental proposals that won him national attention. The mayor, who is said to be contemplating a presidential bid, vowed Tuesday that his administration would go ahead with its other proposals.

The congestion pricing plan had called for an $8 toll for cars and a $21 toll for trucks entering Manhattan's most heavily traveled business district during workdays. The money was to go toward transportation improvements.
FIND MORE STORIES IN: Tuesday | Manhattan | Mayor | Mayor Michael Bloomberg

[Pemolis]

Its dead... thank god....

[attgig]

or.................maybe it's not!

fed $$ for congestion plan (http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/08/14/us-will-give-new-york-354-million-for-congestion-pricing/?hp)


U.S. Offers New York $354 Million for Congestion Pricing

By Sewell Chan

Updated, 11:20 a.m. | The secretary of transportation announced this morning that the federal government will provide New York City with $354 million to implement congestion pricing, if the State Legislature acts by March 2008 to put in effect Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg’s proposal for charging traffic fees in Manhattan.

The announcement is a major step forward for Mayor Bloomberg’s plan, but it does not guarantee that the congestion fees will pass muster with Albany and the City Council. Ms. Peters singled out the mayor for praise at a 10 a.m. news conference in Washington:

The average New York commuter now spends 49 hours stuck in traffic every year, up from 18 hours in 1982. While some may be content to accept growing gridlock as a way of life, Mayor Bloomberg is not going to let traffic rob the Big Apple. He has stepped forward with a plan as brass and bold as New York City itself. New Yorkers must understand that we must stop relying on yesterday’s ideas to fight today’s traffic jams.

As Ms. Peters noted, the congestion pricing proposal still faces several hurdles. The State Legislature has created a 17-member commission to evaluate, by March 2008, a host of traffic mitigation measures, including congestion pricing, and come up with recommendations. That commission must give assent to the mayor’s plan — and the State Legislature and the City Council must act as well — before the proposal can go forward.

Mayor Bloomberg’s congestion pricing proposal has attracted the broad support of business, labor, environmental and transportation groups, but he has been less successful at swaying state and city lawmakers representing the boroughs outside of Manhattan. Public opinion polls suggest that most Manhattan residents support the proposal but that residents of the other boroughs — Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island and the Bronx — do not.

Nonetheless, the substantial federal support for the project gives enormous leverage to the mayor as he continues to press for his proposal.

The mayor’s plan, unveiled in April, proposes to charge drivers $8 and trucks $21 a day to enter or leave Manhattan below 86th Street on weekdays during the workday. Those who drive only within the congestion zone would pay $4 a day for cars, $5.50 for trucks.

To receive the $354 million, Ms. Peters said, the commission must agree to a traffic plan that meets the “same performance goals” as Mayor Bloomberg’s plan. Ms. Peters made it clear that she believed congestion pricing was an essential element of that plan, saying “it would be difficult for them to meet those performance objectives” if the commission arrives at a plan that is “substantially different” from the mayor’s.

The $354 million is considerably less than the $536 million the Bloomberg administration had requested from the federal government, but it is well over the $200 million minimum federal commitment that the Legislature had set as a precondition for the 17-member commission to move forward.

Ms. Peters said the New York City program would be the country’s “first-ever” congestion pricing initiative and “unlike anything we have ever tried before.”

Ms. Peters announced the completion of an eight-month process to dole out more than $1 billion in federal traffic-mitigation grants. New York City was one of 26 communities around the country that submitted the proposals for Urban Partnership Agreements, part of a National Strategy to Reduce Congestion. Five communities were chosen. Ms. Peters said she would announce the four other recipients of the money later today.

Ms. Peters said that Mayor Bloomberg’s proposal differed from any previous proposals for curbing traffic because “the emphasis is on results.” She added:

Unlike building new roads, this plan can be implemented quickly and will have almost an immediate impact on traffic. That’s something our current approach has failed to deliver. It seems the only thing growing faster than transportation spending – which has doubled since 1991 – is traffic congestion along our cities and highways. Mayor Bloomberg is that rare politician willing to take on taboo topics like congestion pricing, because he knows that commuters need solutions that work, not promises that do not.

Ms. Peters said the city would receive $1.6 million initially. The balance of the money would be made available to New York City, she said, “as soon as the proposal has been made and legislation is in place that would allow that proposal to proceed, but that must occur not later than 90 days after the 2008 legislative session convenes in New York.” Effectively, that date is the end of March 2008.

Supporters and opponents of congestion pricing immediately began to react to the federal announcement.

Walter McCaffrey, a former city councilman from Queens who has been coordinating opposition to the mayor’s plan, said in a statement:

If the goal truly is to reduce traffic, the city has a moral and legal obligation to seek any and all alternatives before adding a new tax scheme to overburdened New Yorkers. Further, the plan foresees less than an 8 percent improvement in traffic density, with the bulk of the federal funding earmarked for the city to spend on other priorities. The fact remains that the overall congestion tax and vehicle surveillance plan still can — and should — be derailed by the various legislatures if its proponents fail to prove the plan will not cause our citizens, especially those so vigorously opposed in the outer boroughs, an onerous expense and disruption. At all times, the public’s best interest should be in the driver’s seat, and we will keep our hazard lights on to continue warning all New Yorkers to the problems ahead.

Kathryn S. Wylde, the president of the Partnership for New York City, the city’s leading business group, which supports the mayor’s plan, said in a statement:

In selecting New York City for the Urban Partners Program, the federal Department of Transportation has allowed us to meet the threshold criteria established by recent state legislation for implementation of a comprehensive program to reduce traffic congestion and improve mass transit in the region. The Partnership has documented the high cost of excess traffic, which results in losses of more than $13 billion and 50,000 jobs each year from our regional economy. Federal funding provides the carrot that will help pay for new buses, faster subways and the other measures required to incentivize people to get out of their cars and on to public transportation. This is a tremendous breakthrough in the struggle to achieve a more efficient, mobile city.

Marcia Bystryn, executive director of the New York League of Conservation Voters, said in a statement:

This is great news for anyone who breathes in New York City and the metro area. Today’s vote of confidence from the federal government is proof-positive that PlaNYC is the best way to clean our air, reduce traffic and improve mass transit. The next step is for all sides to come together and craft the best implementation plan possible.

Michael M. Grynbaum contributed reporting from Washington, and William Neuman from New York.

[Pemolis]

Ok.. Read up more in detail on this.... I still don't see how it will work.

Brief summary.

Its a 8 dollar charge, 4 dollars comming, 4 dollars leaving, between hours of 6 am to 6 pm (expected to change to probably 7 pm).

Those who use tolls, such as the Triborough, tunnels, etc, won't pay the Fee (cause they paid the toll).

You MUST have an EZ pass for this to work. If you pay by hand.. then they'll probably stop you and ask for more cash. I'm assuming for this to work, they'll force all New Yorkers to get into the EZ pass system.

No details on what happens to people who pay cash at tolls.

People living IN NYC will get sometype of repreavement from the upped costs.

Employer's are expected to foot the bill (bs..).

They are considering putting in sometype of residence parking permit to area's right outside the blackout zone to stop people from just driving to the edge, and walking/hitching.



Odd thing is, that i'm somewhat hoping for something to be done about Congestion now. 2 days ago I spent two ours stuck on the approach to the Lincoln Tunnel (JerseySide going to NYC). There was no accident, no police activity, no closed streets.. People just drove REALLY slow.

I'm more opt for this suggestion mainly because my employer actually does foot the driving bill for me. And I expect to be taking the Toll Tunnels (brooklyn battery, etc) so the cost wouldn't effect me.

I dunno, they'd have to go to some extremes to assure success. And even if it does work, the subway system will still smell like garbage.

[VTGreg]

The average New York commuter now spends 49 hours stuck in traffic every year, up from 18 hours in 1982. While some may be content to accept growing gridlock as a way of life, Mayor Bloomberg is not going to let traffic rob the Big Apple. He has stepped forward with a plan as brass and bold as New York City itself. New Yorkers must understand that we must stop relying on yesterday’s ideas to fight today’s traffic jams.

Only an average of 49 hours stuck in traffic every year? I'll be willing to bet that isn't nearly as high as some of the other major cities in the US. Less than 1 hour stuck in traffic per week is nothing. Most people who commute into DC or Chicago or LA probably spend that much time in traffic per day.

[uncledaddy]

Only an average of 49 hours stuck in traffic every year? I'll be willing to bet that isn't nearly as high as some of the other major cities in the US. Less than 1 hour stuck in traffic per week is nothing. Most people who commute into DC or Chicago or LA probably spend that much time in traffic per day.

So true. In San Diego I'll bet the average commuter will spend over 260 hours a year stuck in traffic. And it really doesn't matter from which direction you travel.

[guiseppewv]

Only an average of 49 hours stuck in traffic every year? I'll be willing to bet that isn't nearly as high as some of the other major cities in the US. Less than 1 hour stuck in traffic per week is nothing. Most people who commute into DC or Chicago or LA probably spend that much time in traffic per day.

I don't think they mean in traffic, I think they mean stuck in traffic. Meaning sitting still without moving. I am only guessing b/c if it was just in traffic I spend almost that amount of time in a month here in HI.

[Maarchk]

Only an average of 49 hours stuck in traffic every year? I'll be willing to bet that isn't nearly as high as some of the other major cities in the US. Less than 1 hour stuck in traffic per week is nothing. Most people who commute into DC or Chicago or LA probably spend that much time in traffic per day.

I used to spend about 2 hours a day both ways for a year. I can't even count that high.

Hmm why not make a green zone or something where only mass transportation and emergency vehicles can travel. I understand the argument against just making this about money but i haven't really seen any other ideas proposed. new york already has an excellent system of public transport compared to L.A. and other cities. I guess i just don't know what the best answer is. Can you build huge parking structures outside of the Busy Zone and just have busses running a lot to cover the area. And make it so that the max walking distance for anyone is >= 3 blocks?