Congestion pricing looks almost dead
-
- April
- 7
  Assemblyman Richard Brodsky wasn’t quite ready to take a victory lap around noon today with the congestion-pricing issue unlikely to be approved by the Legislature by midnight, which is the deadline for passage if New York City is to get $354 million from the federal government to ease traffic congestion.
But he sounded confident the idea won’t be approved by the Legislature.
“The mayor is entitled to his vision, and the Legislature is entitled to say, ‘we don’t think this is in the public’s interest,’‘’ said Brodsky, D-Greenburgh. “As of today, the votes aren’t there for it.’’
Assembly Democrats were huddling behind closed doors early this afternoon for one final talk about Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s plan to charge motorists $8 to drive below 60th St. in Manhattan between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. weekdays. All signs point to the measure failing.
Still, Brodsky said that things could still change before Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, D-Manhattan, decides whether the bring the matter up for a vote.
“I’m not saying it’s dead. The Speaker hasn’t made the determination,’’ he said.
This entry was posted
on Monday, April 7th, 2008 at 11:45 am by Jay Gallagher.
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The votes aren’t there for this measure because the political will in Albany is broken and weak. Why should we expect our representatives to do anything in an election year: except try to get reelected, of course. At least the mayor, the commission, and supporters have had the common decency to debate this issue in public, to hold hearings, and to listen to the people. Albany politcs is sickening at best. So I ask Brodsky and the other memebers who seem to care more about scoring political points and beating up on the mayor – what is in the public’s best interest? Less transit, more pollution, longer commutes and more guys like them clogging up my city streets and benefiting from parking garage money or free placards? The opposition proposals have been analized, researched and dismissed. Congestion Pricing is the right plan to try, right now. Thanks for nothing, Albany.
Talk to Al Gore. He’s got an answer. Canoes for all, bicyles for all. Comittments for all, too.
But the answers are all in the windmills of his mind.
I just hope that Sheldon Silver realizes which side his bread is buttered on and schedules a vote on this piece of sound public policy.
I live in lower Manhattan, and every single Manhattan resident that I’ve spoken to about this issue feels the same way … we urgently need this system to reduce the pollution and congestion that Manhattan residents and visitors must endure every day of the year.
There’s no reason why it should take anyone, whether in a car or bus, up to an hour to get in or out of Manhattan.
It’s time that people started paying for the convenience of blocking traffic in Manhattan while looking for a parking place that doesn’t exist.
The things that gets me really upset about this is that the people who are deciding it right now aren’t the people who live in the city… they’re the people who sit upstate and don’t want to have to take the train when they come to city. I live in the city and bike to work every day… I see the lack of decent public transportation, the pollution and the tragedy of aggressive drivers on overcrowded roads. The people live upstate don’t have to breath the city air, wait an hour for the G train to come, bike on overcrowded city streets, or even worry about whether they’ll get hit by a car on their way to work… so why it is that they get to decide whether or not this measure is passed is beyond me.
At a time when 70% of NYC residence don’t own a car it is absurd that the city itself is car-centric. Buildings are torn down to make room for multilevel parking garages, habitats are endangered to make way for larger highways and pedestrians are constantly on the defense when crossing streets. I ask you why a city in which only 30% of its residence own cars is a slave to the automobile.
If those Albany fucktarts in the state legislature want to sit around and do nothing while their greatest city continues its decent into a Robert Moses inspired hell hole then so be it… I just hope their constituents have enough common sense to vote them out of office.
~Erin of Brooklyn