NY State legislature shelves Manhattan congestion charge plan

It looks like New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg's plan to reduce the congestion in Manhattan by introducing a congestion charge has hit a pothole in the state capitol. The state Senate didn't vote on the proposal once it became clear there wasn't enough support to pass it. The Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver wants to send the proposal to a committee that would also look at other proposals to deal with traffic in the city.

When the Mayor met with Democratic state senators on Monday he apparently got into an argument and failed to win any new support for his plan. It appears that state lawmakers are not too thrilled about Bloomberg trying to force his plans through and are playing politics. Democrats are accusing Bloomberg of still supporting Republican candidates while Republicans are upset that Bloomberg left the party.

[Source: New York Times - Reg. req'd via Autoblog]