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March 24, 2008
CONGESTION TAX IN NEW YORK STATE COMMITTEE WIT NO SPONCOR
March 24, 2008
Senator Rules Introduces Congestion Pricing Bill
Mayor Bloomberg released a statement this morning praising Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno and his GOP majority conference for "once again demonstrating their commitment to the people of this city and state" by introducing Gov. David Paterson's congestion pricing program bill.
Bloomberg noted that an "overwhelming majority of New Yorkers" support the pay-to-drive plan when told the cash it will generate will be invested in mass transit improvements.
(He did not address the issue raised in this morning's Q poll that about half of New Yorkers don't buy elected officials' pledges that the money will indeed be used for that purpose).
"Together with the Governor, we will continue to work to address the concerns of our partners in the State Legislature and the City Council – including concerns about the impact on lower income drivers and making sure we receive revenue from commuters who use Port Authority crossings," Bloomberg added.
The timely passage of this bill will result in New York getting $354 million in federal funds, which will be used for immediate transit improvements. This is another step in the right direction."
The mayor's statement came out before the Senate even had a chance to annouce that it had introduced the bill, which Paterson said late last week he would be sending to the respective legislative houses.
The bill is being sponsored by the illustrious and mysterious Senator Rules - in other words, it's in the Senate Rules Committee, which is controlled by Bruno, but has no formal sponsor.
This is a handy way of dealing with potentially controversial legislation as it wends its way through the legislative process.
http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/dailypolitics/2008/03/senator-rules-introduces-conge.html
Comments
Great News, Bring it on. How many Single Occupancy Vehicles have to clog up the streets every day?
Posted by: guest at March 24, 2008 1:54 PM
Great. One more tax on the backs of drivers. Don't bother reforming welfare - we'll just tax the working man a little harder. They can't protest - they have jobs.
Posted by: Bklyn Fire Alarm Guy at March 24, 2008 3:50 PM
Its been said many times before on this site, but I will reiterate - Driving in NYC should be as inconvinient as possible. I appreciate that many people, probably like you BK Fire Alarm Guy, are compelled to drive for their livelihood. However, the vast majority are not, and seeing all of those cars lumbering down the avenue on my way to the subway makes me realizes that all of those people driving in could easily be on the subway saving on gas, cutting down pollution, and making it generally less congested and difficult to get around on the rare occassion I do need to drive.
People are selfish, spoiled, and too into their routine to come to this conclusion themselves. So if it costs them an extra $8 a day to drive into work when they could easily take mass transit - maybe that will be the push they need. IF not at least mass transit can improve on their backs.
Again - I have little sympathy for people who drive to the city by themselves every day - totally unnecessary!
Posted by: guest at March 24, 2008 4:07 PM
Congesting pricing is a scam, and yet another sign we are converting ever more increasingly to a place where only the rich have the privledge to do anything.
Congestion pricing is NOT the means to fund public transit... taxes and fares do that... and should continue to do so... i pay an inordinate amount of taxes to this city.
You want people to think green and take more busses & trains, etc... then encourage the politicians to make more protected bike lanes, dedicated car-pool/bus lanes on the avenues, and a dozen other mass transit options.
However, a toll is not necesary to do this. You think its the Car drivers who clog manhatten? have a look outside... its 90% cabs, trucks, busses and service cars. Pushing out the few people who do have a car will do little to drop the pollution/congestion and will only encourage more cabs to fill the streets.
This whole thing is a BUSH-WMD styled scare tactic to force yet ANOTHER tax down NY-ers throats.
I dont own/have a car.. and i only rent when i need one... but i find this type of tax the most revolting of them all. A mileage or carbon tax would be less revolting.
If a transit system is ailing, it needs improvements, not regressive taxation/use... the sort of thing that will NEVER go away once in place.
Posted by: guest at March 24, 2008 4:28 PM
in London "The $9 fee has forced people out of their cars and filled city buses, subways and sidewalks"
So... its a double tax, you pay the fee or you pay to ride public transport... pretty shady.
Congestion taxes sounds just like saying you dont know how to fix the real problem so youve just decided to tax it away for now.
Posted by: guest at March 24, 2008 4:33 PM
Get over it, 90% of the traffic is not buses and trucks. Its every single person that owns a car and couldnt care less about the pollution and traffic in the city.
I am not blind, every morning you tards practically run me down on 4th avenue heading towards the BQE or Flatbush Ave. Every single car contains only the driver. Sooooo unnecessary!
Its nice to think extra bike lanes or dedicated car pool lanes will do something. But the real problem is people will never change until it actually costs them something.
See you all on the train soon :)
Posted by: guest at March 24, 2008 4:41 PM
actually in london they just rose the rates -- drivers of high-emission vehicles such as powerful sports cars and sport utility vehicles will be charged nearly $50 to drive into the city, while the standard $16 fee on other cars will be waived for fuel-efficient hybrids.
chances this will happen in NY? 100%
its yet another tax that will never go away... manhatten is turning into disneyland...
Its a little retarded that to even go through manhatten (to NJ-nyack, etc...) youd have to pay outrageuous fees, if there was a bypass that wasnt 20 miles out of the way it might be acceptable.
dumb, i hope it fails.
Posted by: guest at March 24, 2008 4:52 PM
CALL THE BABY BY ITS REAL NAME
TAX TAX TAX
WIT THE NEW TAX PLAN IT IS A TAX MILLIONS OF DALLARS BUT NOT FOR YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD
1) THE TAX FROM LOCAL RESIDENT FOR THE PRIVILEGE TO PARK IN THE FRONT OF YOUR HOSE
2) THE TAX FOR ALL SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS TO PAY A PLUS TAX FOR DOING BUSINESS
3) TICKETING EVERYBODY WHO WILL PARK VS THE LAW( EVERY CAR WHO IS REGISTER IN NYC HAVE PAID A MINIMUM OF 100 DOLLARS IN PARKING TICKETS EVERY YEAR)
4) THE FEDERAL BIG MONEY FOR THE CITY -"NOT ANY PAY BACK FOR THE LOCAL RESIDENT WHO WILL SUFFER FROM THE PARK AND RIDE AND ALL OUTER NEW REGULATION'S (CALL IT TAX SCAMS)
5) ALL NEW GARAGE SYSTEMS BUSINESS WHO WILL COME UP IN NEIGHBORHOODS LIKE WIILIAMSBURG TO PROVIDE THE PARK IN RIDE FOR OUTSIDERS AND THAT TAX WILL NOT GO TO THE LOCAL NEIGHBORHOODS
TAX TAX TAX
MILLIONS OF DOLLARS BUT NOT FOR YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD
AND EVERY BROOKLYN POLITICIAN WHO WILL SUPPORT A NEW TAX WILL PAY THE FULL
PRICE OF IT !!!
Posted by: brooklyn and i at March 24, 2008 4:53 PM
Going to Happen, the majority of the city supports it because we take mass transit everyday and couldnt afford to drive in and park anyway with or without "Congestion Pricing."
This is probably the most progressive tax we will have in the city. Not alot of poor people driving into manhattan and parking there everyday.
Suck it drivers!
Posted by: guest at March 24, 2008 5:13 PM
4:52, supposedly the congestion pricing is rigged so that those passing through Manhattan to other locations (NJ, Nyack, etc.) get credit for the other bridge/tunnel crossing tolls.
Posted by: guest at March 24, 2008 5:34 PM
Studies on the West Coast show that an inordinate amount of emissions comes from cars trolling for parking spots. Add in all the town cars idling outside of Financial District places and law firms. If they truly care about the environment instead of another source of income, they'd be addressing these issues as well.
Posted by: guest at March 25, 2008 12:55 PM
um all the friggin "traffic" in nyc are the ridiculous amounts of taxis driving recklessly while chatting on the phone to Pakistan(i know I will get killed for sayin that - but whatev!!) it's sooo true!
give me a break bloomberg - why don;t you donate a million dollars of your own hard earned money to invest in mass transit!!!
i own a car, have lived in ny all my life and love driving into the city whenver i want by way of the bklyn battery tunnel or bridge - agreed 100% with 4:28
Posted by: guest at March 25, 2008 8:41 PM
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