Thursday, June 7, 2007

Congestion, congestion, congestion

Interesting politics surrounding congestion pricing:

Surely you congest

U.S. Secretary of Transportation Mary Peters is slated to meet today with Bloomberg and Gov. Spitzer at the governor's Manhattan office to endorse the plan. Peters also will warn that the city could lose out on millions in federal transportation aid being given to cities willing to experiment with congestion pricing.

Lawmakers To Examine Traffic Tax Plan

The bill does not list the transportation projects that would be funded through congestion pricing dollars that were listed in Mr. Bloomberg's original 2030 plan. The lack of specifics has prompted critics of the plan to question how the Metropolitan Transportation Authority could be trusted to use the money to expand service. The bill also does not specify which neighborhoods surrounding the toll areas of Manhattan would qualify for residential parking permits, but states that 20% of parking spots in those neighborhoods would be reserved for non-residents.

MIKE'S PLAN TO SAVE FARE

Bloomberg pointed out that some of the $400 million a year expected from fees charged motorists to enter Manhattan would go toward mass transit projects, freeing up funds the MTA could use to help subsidize the fare.

Oh yeah, I believe this. You mean the agency that reported a gigantic surplus a few years back and raised the fares anyway?

Duane Reade has come up with their own solution:

Duane Reade's congestion suggestion

Because “commercial traffic meets with commuter traffic at a limited number of access points,” Henry believes, “we need to expand deliveries into and out the city all 24 hours a day.”

Stagger deliveries throughout the day? That's a great idea. QC suggests that people's work shifts also be staggered to relieve congestion, rather than implementing a new tax.

Update: Mayor's Congestion Pricing Plan Gets Some Federal Support

Today, 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.

Oh, so only one city gets the money? Ha!

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

This is terrific: The lies told by MTA have exposed the lies told by Bloomberg!

Bloomberg want only to please his "precious people" in Manhattan by eliminating "little people" from the city.

MTA wants extra money to spend on executive pay, perks, and lavish offices.

Both want to screw you.

Anonymous said...

Public forum on congestion pricing:

From astorians.com:

http://www.astorians.com/index.php?topic=6562.0

This Thursday, June 7th, Transportation Alternatives is having a VERY important event at the Greater Astoria Historical Society. We're holding a meeting on the benefits of congestion pricing for Astoria. It takes place on the eve of the State
Assembly's hearing on Congestion Pricing, so we'd like to pack the room with supporters of the mayor's plan, and make a strong showing.

Please come to show your support or if you'd just like to learn more about the mayor's big plan.

Here are the event details:

Thursday June 7th, 6:30-8pm
Greater Astoria Historical Society
35-20 Broadway, 4th Floor
Subway: N and W trains to Broadway

Anonymous said...

Greater Astoria? You mean the group that told Queens Civic Congress they couldn't get involved with the congestion pricing issue? They're now hosting a forum in favor of it? That's strange...

Anonymous said...

If QCC contacted them for a meeting I would be very surprised that they would refuse, because those guys have a pretty busy schedule hositng a lot of community groups, often giving both sides of the same issue an airing. Maybe it was a schedule conflict.

I recalled one day last year attending a meeting for the East River waterfront group that meets there and Stuart Suna showed up and touted his Silvercup project.

A few months later I read in the paper (the Chonicle?) that a local civic that is battling developers conducted a forum there.

I've been there a few times and its a hell of a lot better than a musty church basement.

Nice exhibits on the community, too.

Anonymous said...

Um, Taxpayer, you've got it backwards. The "little people" are on the subway and the "precious people" are the ones who can afford to drive to Manhattan every day. Anthony Weiner wants to screw you so he can please Ray Irrera.

Anonymous said...

No, Anthony Weiner wants to screw us so he can please his puppeteer, Jerrold Nadler, by supporting the Cross Harbor Tunnel which his own constituents are against.

Anonymous said...

Forget all this shit!

Most of the people who use their cars to enter Manhattan come from New Jersey!

Reinstate the Commuter Tax and let those Jersey jerks pay for the privilege of working in the Big Apple that these parochial suburbanites often scorn!