Congestion Pricing
Streetsblog Basics
If Albany Lawmakers Don’t Go Back to Work, NYC Loses
Sounding frustrated, Mayor Bloomberg said in his radio address this weekend that it would be "absolutely ridiculous" for state lawmakers to leave hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funds to another city by rejecting New York City's congestion pricing plan.
July 9, 2007
Richard Brodsky: Working for the Public or the Parking Industry?
Westchester Democrat Richard Brodsky has emerged as the State Assembly's leading critic of Mayor Bloomberg's congestion pricing plan. Later today Brodsky will release a report on the steps of City Hall characterizing the Mayor's congestion pricing plan as a regressive tax that puts most of the burden on poor and middle-income drivers (and ignoring the fact that only 4.6% of New York City residents drive to work in Manhattan's Central Business District and most poor and middle-income New Yorkers use transit).
July 9, 2007
Mayor and Assembly Headed to a Showdown Over Pricing
City Hall and the New York State Assembly may be headed to the biggest showdown since Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton met on the dueling grounds at Weehawken (crossing the river back then was free but you had to use a row boat). Erik Engquist and Anne Michaud report in today's Crain's Insider:
July 9, 2007
Today: Dueling Congestion Pricing Press Events
State Assembly Member Richard Brodsky (D-Westchester) is releasing his report on Mayor Michael Bloomberg's congestion pricing proposal on the steps of City Hall today at 2:00 pm. Billed as "the first thorough, independent, and fair-minded" analysis (Apparently, the Partnership for New York's two-year study wasn't thorough and Bruce Schaller's massive body of research wasn't independent enough for Brodsky).
July 9, 2007
Mayor Speaks at Times Square Pricing Rally
Supporters of congestion pricing rallied yesterday in Times Square, urging state lawmakers to act by July 16 on Mayor Bloomberg's initiative or risk losing $500 million in federal funds. "The time is now," said the mayor, according to the New York Post. "We cannot walk away from this opportunity."
July 6, 2007
17 Reasons to Make Transit Free
The Tyee, an independent online pub in British Columbia, weighs in with the first in a series of editorials making the case for free transit in the province.
July 6, 2007
Good Stuff in This Week’s Mobilizing the Region
Finally, we get to see just how much former executive director Jon Orcutt was tamping down the high-powered talent at the Tri-State Transportation Campaign. The latest issue of Mobilizing the Region is jam-packed with good articles. Here are some highlights (and, yes, I'm kidding about Orcutt but serious about this week's MTR being really good):
July 3, 2007
‘Triboro RX’ Could Provide More Transit Opportunities
For the Regional Plan Association, Michael Frumin visualized their plan for a rapid transit line in Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronx that could be built almost entirely on pre-existing rail and would connect with at least twenty existing subway lines. The "Triboro RX", which originated in the 1996 Third Regional Plan, could provide effective transit between these boroughs at a fraction of the cost of most transit projects.
June 29, 2007
O’Donnell Supports PlaNYC, but Congestion Pricing?
Below is State Assembly Member Daniel O'Donnell's response to a letter from Streetsblog contributor Glenn McAnanama urging O'Donnell to support congestion pricing. O'Donnell claims that no specific legislation has been introduced regarding PlaNYC so he cannot take a position.
June 29, 2007
TMBG’s Flansburgh: I Drive, and I Support Congestion Pricing
In other rock star news, Williamsburg resident John Flansburgh -- one half of the esoteric duo They Might Be Giants -- issued an unprompted endorsement of congestion pricing on Daily Intel earlier this week:
June 28, 2007