Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com Autoblog http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.autoblog.com/media/feedlogo.gif Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com en-us Copyright 2009 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[NYC congestion charge gets blocked by state]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/08/nyc-congestion-charge-gets-blocked-by-state/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/08/nyc-congestion-charge-gets-blocked-by-state/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/08/nyc-congestion-charge-gets-blocked-by-state/#commentsFiled under: , ,



Manhattan's latest attempt at disguised taxation has ground to a halt in the most trivial fashion. Mayor Michael Bloomberg's proposed congestion charge for cars and trucks headed into the city below 60th street was summarily ignored by lawmakers. Rather than a contentious fight in the state assembly, the clock was simply run out and the bill died without being put to a vote. The failure of Bloomberg's plan means that New York City will also miss out on 350 million federally earmarked dollars for mass transit, and other ways to improve air quality and decrease gridlock must be sought. Even if it had passed, Manhattan's fee of $8 for cars and $21 for trucks would have been lower than what Red Ken charges for entry to London proper. While the goal of decreasing gridlock and improving air quality is admirable, we can see how the congestion charge would further squeeze those who can least afford it. To be sure, an alternative to Manhattan's current traffic would be welcome, and embracing change isn't always easy, but lets see what they come up with next. Thanks for the tip, RxMadness!

[Source: AFP, Photo by Mario Tama/Getty]

NYC congestion charge gets blocked by state originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 08 Apr 2008 14:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>congestioncongestion chargecongestion chargescongestion-chargecongestion-pricingCongestionChargeCongestionChargesmanhattanmayor bloombergMayorBloombergmichael bloombergMichaelBloombergnew yorknew york citynew york congestionnew york trafficNewYorkNewYorkCityNewYorkCongestionNewYorkTrafficTue, 08 Apr 2008 14:29:00 EST<![CDATA[Congestion charge could make it to New York this spring]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2007/12/19/congestion-charge-could-make-it-to-new-york-this-spring/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/12/19/congestion-charge-could-make-it-to-new-york-this-spring/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/12/19/congestion-charge-could-make-it-to-new-york-this-spring/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Everyone knows it's going to be done, no one knows yet how: the "congestion charge" is coming to Manhattan. Mike Bloomberg finally won the capitulation of the plan's most ardent foe, State Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, and with him out of the way, there doesn't appear to be any other obstacles.

All that's left now is the shouting, and there promises to be plenty of that. The question is how to charge everyone equitably, since people can arrive in Manhattan south of 86th Street (where the toll would take effect) in ways that already require them to pay a toll (like the Battery Tunnel, which is $8 round-trip with E-Z Pass). Refunding the congestion charge was an idea, but that was deemed too complicated. (However -- and not to throw our New York friends under the bridge, as it were -- bridge and tunnel tolls weren't created to cut down on traffic into the city, so would a bridge/tunnel toll and a congestion toll really overlap?) Any solution will take a fine mix of fairness, technology, PR, all of Bloomberg's negotiating savvy, and, frankly, somebody taking some lumps.

The plan still needs final approval from the City Council and State Legislature, which is projected to go Bloomberg's way on March 31, 2008. But with 31 of 50 City Council members hailing from Brooklyn and Queens, all with a multitude of constituents who will have to pony up the ducats, the fine points of who pays what, when, and where, is still quite some ways off.

[Source: The New York Sun via Winding Road, Photo by TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP/Getty]

Congestion charge could make it to New York this spring originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 19 Dec 2007 13:37:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>congestion chargeCongestionChargemanhattan congestion chargeManhattanCongestionChargemichael bloombergMichaelBloombergnew yorkNewYorkWed, 19 Dec 2007 13:37:00 EST<![CDATA[Mayor Mike readies $8 congestion fee for NYC drivers]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2007/04/21/mayor-mike-readies-8-congestion-fee-for-nyc-drivers/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/04/21/mayor-mike-readies-8-congestion-fee-for-nyc-drivers/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/04/21/mayor-mike-readies-8-congestion-fee-for-nyc-drivers/#commentsFiled under:

NYC Mayor Michael BloombergNew York's mayor, Mike Bloomberg, is ready to steal a page from his London counterpart's handbook and announce plans to hit drivers who bring their cars into Manhattan below 86th street with an $8 congestion charge in a bid to ease gridlock in the city's crowded midtown business district. The fee would include the existing bridge and tunnel tolls drivers currently have to pay. Some people are understandably upset, and opposition groups are said to be forming in the outer boroughs.

Naturally, there will be exceptions. Taxis are unlikely to pay the fee, and there's word that drivers who avoid the business district while heading to other parts of the city could be exempt as well. The report also mentions possible discounts for individuals who live and/or work in the impacted zone. Mayor Bloomberg is expected to detail the specifics of his proposal in a speech he's giving tomorrow, and we'll follow up after we've heard all the particulars.

If the mayor does set the plan into motion, it'll need to be improved by the state legislature, meaning those of us (ahem) in the NYC media market are going to have the opportunity to watch the political fireworks unfold during the local evening newscasts. This is gonna get interesting.

UPDATE 4/22: Ahead of today's speech, WNYC (New York Public Radio) reported that drivers who use the FDR drive and West Side Highway would be exempted from the fee. The mayor stated as much in his weekly radio program on WABC. More on the proposal as we get the info.

[Source: WCBS TV, New York]

Mayor Mike readies $8 congestion fee for NYC drivers originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 21 Apr 2007 16:36:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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