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http://www.newsmax.com/us/traffic_fee/2008/04/08/86241.html
NYC Mayor Loses Big on Traffic Fee Plan
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
NEW YORK -- Mayor Michael Bloomberg's plan to charge drivers extra tolls to
enter Manhattan's most congested neighborhoods earned him invitations to
speak at such gatherings as the U.N. climate conference and raised his
profile as he considered a presidential run.
But the plan died Monday when Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver in Albany
announced his chamber wouldn't take up the proposal because of strong
opposition within the conference dominated by New York City Democrats.
The traffic fee proposal, known as congestion pricing, called for cars to
pay $8, and trucks $21, to enter Manhattan south of 60th Street between 6
a.m. and 6 p.m. on weekdays. Opponents argued it was an unfair tax on
middle-class commuters who drive to work for lack of mass transit options in
their neighborhoods.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Mary Peters had said the administration hoped
congestion pricing in New York could serve as a model for other cities
nationwide. Charging drivers fees in congested city centers is a concept
that has gained popularity around the world but has yet to be tried on a
major scale in a large U.S. city.
A little more than a year ago, Bloomberg himself wasn't even persuaded the
plan would succeed. He once said the idea was so politically charged that
state lawmakers "will never let us do it."
But in the weeks leading up to the Earth Day 2007 speech in which he
unveiled the plan, Bloomberg became convinced it was something New York City
had to try, vowing to "fight like heck" to get it done.
Bloomberg, an independent with less than two years left in his second term,
has long portrayed himself as a maverick leader unfazed by forging ahead
with unpopular policy decisions, such as banning smoking in bars and clubs
and outlawing trans fats in restaurants.
City officials estimated congestion pricing would reduce traffic by about 6
percent and generate hundreds of millions of dollars in new revenue for
transportation projects. Bloomberg shrugged off criticism that the fee was
too high by comparing it to the price of a movie.
In lobbying for his plan, Bloomberg displayed a short fuse with anyone who
didn't support the idea, painting opponents as "stupid" people who didn't
care about the environment, progress and the health of asthma-afflicted
children.
Bloomberg also was known to hint that lawmakers who backed his legislative
efforts could be rewarded down the line with his political and monetary
support, while those who didn't fall in line could suffer the consequences.
Bloomberg did not make any public appearances after the state killed his
plan, but he said in a blunt statement Monday night that Albany lawmakers
are gutless politicians who have doomed the city.
"It takes a special type of cowardice for elected officials to refuse to
stand up and vote their conscience _ on an issue that has been debated, and
amended significantly to resolve many outstanding issues, for more than a
year," he said.
By failing to pass congestion pricing before a midnight deadline on Monday,
the state appeared to have forfeited an offer of $354 million in federal
money to help kick-start the initiative.
Silver, a Democrat, was also involved in another Bloomberg failure: The
mayor's 2005 attempt to build a new football stadium and conference center
on Manhattan's West Side collapsed without Silver's support.
NYC Mayor Loses Big on Traffic Fee Plan
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
NEW YORK -- Mayor Michael Bloomberg's plan to charge drivers extra tolls to
enter Manhattan's most congested neighborhoods earned him invitations to
speak at such gatherings as the U.N. climate conference and raised his
profile as he considered a presidential run.
But the plan died Monday when Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver in Albany
announced his chamber wouldn't take up the proposal because of strong
opposition within the conference dominated by New York City Democrats.
The traffic fee proposal, known as congestion pricing, called for cars to
pay $8, and trucks $21, to enter Manhattan south of 60th Street between 6
a.m. and 6 p.m. on weekdays. Opponents argued it was an unfair tax on
middle-class commuters who drive to work for lack of mass transit options in
their neighborhoods.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Mary Peters had said the administration hoped
congestion pricing in New York could serve as a model for other cities
nationwide. Charging drivers fees in congested city centers is a concept
that has gained popularity around the world but has yet to be tried on a
major scale in a large U.S. city.
A little more than a year ago, Bloomberg himself wasn't even persuaded the
plan would succeed. He once said the idea was so politically charged that
state lawmakers "will never let us do it."
But in the weeks leading up to the Earth Day 2007 speech in which he
unveiled the plan, Bloomberg became convinced it was something New York City
had to try, vowing to "fight like heck" to get it done.
Bloomberg, an independent with less than two years left in his second term,
has long portrayed himself as a maverick leader unfazed by forging ahead
with unpopular policy decisions, such as banning smoking in bars and clubs
and outlawing trans fats in restaurants.
City officials estimated congestion pricing would reduce traffic by about 6
percent and generate hundreds of millions of dollars in new revenue for
transportation projects. Bloomberg shrugged off criticism that the fee was
too high by comparing it to the price of a movie.
In lobbying for his plan, Bloomberg displayed a short fuse with anyone who
didn't support the idea, painting opponents as "stupid" people who didn't
care about the environment, progress and the health of asthma-afflicted
children.
Bloomberg also was known to hint that lawmakers who backed his legislative
efforts could be rewarded down the line with his political and monetary
support, while those who didn't fall in line could suffer the consequences.
Bloomberg did not make any public appearances after the state killed his
plan, but he said in a blunt statement Monday night that Albany lawmakers
are gutless politicians who have doomed the city.
"It takes a special type of cowardice for elected officials to refuse to
stand up and vote their conscience _ on an issue that has been debated, and
amended significantly to resolve many outstanding issues, for more than a
year," he said.
By failing to pass congestion pricing before a midnight deadline on Monday,
the state appeared to have forfeited an offer of $354 million in federal
money to help kick-start the initiative.
Silver, a Democrat, was also involved in another Bloomberg failure: The
mayor's 2005 attempt to build a new football stadium and conference center
on Manhattan's West Side collapsed without Silver's support.
