Bloomberg to announce $8 congestion fee for cars entering NYC
Filed under: Legislation and Policy
During a speech he's scheduled to give tomorrow that will outline his remaining time in office, New York's mayor, Mike Bloomberg, will announce plans to charge cars entering Manhattan below 86th street an $8 congestion fee, similar to the controversial charge enacted by London's mayor, Ken Livingstone. The charge will include existing bridge and tunnel tolls drivers pay coming in, and the plan will reportedly include exemptions for taxis and drivers who use routes that keep them away from the business district in midtown. Discounts could be offered to individuals who live or work in the affected area which, if you're familiar with Manhattan geography, is pretty huge. Commuters coming in from the north are going to be in a much better position to avoid the charge by finding parking and switching to public transportation for treks further downtown than individuals coming in via crossings in the area below 86th.
Drivers are understandably frustrated at the prospect of paying more to get into the city, and opposition groups in the outer boroughs are beginning to form up. The plan, which will need to be approved by the state legislature, is sure to spawn some political fireworks. We'll follow up on this after the mayor's speech tomorrow, when we should have all the particulars of his proposal.
UPDATE 4/22: Ahead of today's speech, WNYC (New York Public Radio) reported that drivers who use the FDR drive and West Side Highway would be exempted from the fee. The mayor stated as much in his weekly radio program on WABC. More on the proposal as we get the info.
[Source: WCBS TV, New York]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
4-21-2007 @ 10:51AM
Dave Schmetterer said...
I think we'll have to take a wait and see attitude with this, NYC employs plenty of planners who you have to assume did their research.
That said - I hope they realize how overcrowded the public transit options are as well. The Subways are packed. NJ Transit trains, especially the Northeast Corridor line, is far over capacity during peak hours.
Here is an idea for cutting down NYC traffic - redevelop Newark, and The Bronx, and embrace the expanded development in Brooklyn. Just food for though people, don't flame me. I'm just throwing spaghetti against the wall here. But if we could keep people where they are, instead of having them cross the East and Hudson in order to get into Manhattan, that would help.
How about a more urban form on Long Island? Rockland and Westchester? Maybe the city needs to grow out and not just up. Maybe... maybe...
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4-21-2007 @ 11:06AM
Alex Nunez said...
Dave, I have to agree with you on the public transit situation, too. I'm in Connecticut, and the condition of Metro-North's trains on the New Haven line is so deplorable that I often opt to drive just for the sake of comfort, traffic be damned. The CT DOT is buying new trains, but they're years off.
I'm really interested in hearing all the specifics.
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4-21-2007 @ 11:19AM
frank78 said...
Anyone else think that this sort of thing isn't really about emissions or even really about preventing traffic congestion?? Without trying to sound paranoid, you have to wonder how much of this is simply the local city govt wanting to impose taxes.
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4-21-2007 @ 2:28PM
JeffDM said...
If they just wanted to impose new taxes, I'd suggest that there are probably easier ways to do that. Cost, traffic and transit issues are why I really don't consider dense urban areas to be worth working or living in.
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4-22-2007 @ 8:31PM
Ian said...
So if you work or live in Manhattan you get examptions? Thus only "visitors" are hit. Huh? Doesn't Manhattan live off the millions of visitors each year?
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2-01-2008 @ 11:11PM
Frank said...
If someone lives in New Jersey and works on Long Island, would they be able to avoid the fee by crossing the George Washington Bridge and taking he FDR drive to the Mid Town Tunnel?
A fee won't prevent people from coming into the city. People still pay ridiculous prices for a beer and hot dog at the stadium and attendance remains high.
The only thing to benefit will be New York's treasury.
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