sustaiNYC

I’m going to assume that folks here are already pretty well aware of how important congestion pricing is for our city–for the health of New Yorkers, for the ease and cost of our commutes, for the city’s economic well-being, and for helping to cut NYC’s auto-born carbon emissions. (If you’re looking for primer on how congestion pricing would benefit our city and our lives, check out Transportation Alternative’s great resource. Or to delve deeper, lose yourself for awhile in Streetsblog’s archives on the subject.)

So the plan has pass through public hearings, has been approved (handily, 13-2) by the Congestion Mitigation Commission, and now moves forward to a March 28th City Council vote, and then to the state legislators. As such, it’s time to let your elected officials know that you support, and want them to support, the plan.

Helpfully, the Campaign for New York’s Future, a coalition of >100 civic, business, environmental, labor, community and public health organizations that support the goals and strategic direction of PlaNYC, has an easy form letter already written out for you. Head to GetNYCMoving.org and send along a note to your Assemblyperson and State Senator.

From the CfNYF’s recent sponsored post/plea on Gothamist:

Overcrowded subways, packed buses, gridlocked streets, and polluted air: just part of life in New York City? With a million more people on the way, these nuisances are poised to become a problem large enough to bring our city to a screeching halt.

Tell your state legislators to pass congestion pricing and bring traffic relief and transit improvements to New York City.

After months of research and hearings across the city, an independent traffic commission created by the state legislature has proposed an answer to New York’s transit dilemma: a new congestion pricing plan that will:
• Cut commute times by improving mass transit service and unclogging roads
• Achieve real traffic reductions in all five boroughs
• Reduce air pollution and global warming emissions
• Create reliable revenue streams to finally get the transit system back into good repair and also fund the new transit options and system expansion we need

It’s estimated that one million new residents will move to New York City by 2030. Let’s make sure our roads and mass transit systems are ready for them.

Meanwhile, Environmental Defense has started running ads in support of the plan, like the subway banner above and this tv spot:

Tags: congestion pricing, Livable Streets, take back the streets