“Congestion Pricing Is Dead. Long Live Congestion Pricing”
Apr 7th, 2008 by Jervey
And just like that, with hardly a discussion and nary a public vote up in Albany, it is over.
From the Times’ City Room:
Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg’s ambitious dream to remake New York City streets with an elaborate plan for congestion pricing died on Monday, after Democrats refused to put the bill to a public vote on the floor of the State Assembly.
Mayor Bloomberg denounced the decision, saying that this was “a sad day for New Yorkers and a sad day for New York City.” He said the plan would have cut traffic and pollution, spurred the economy and qualified the city for millions in federal funding.
And this particularly juicy Bloomberg quote:
“It takes true leadership and courage to embrace new concepts and ideas and to be willing to try something,” Mr. Bloomberg said. “Unfortunately, both are lacking in the Assembly today. If that wasn’t shameful enough, it takes a special type of cowardice for elected officials to refuse to stand up and vote their conscience.”
Read more of the sadness here.
The first community org reactions come from (predictably) the Campaign for New York’s Future and Transportation Alternatives.
They start as such, from CNYF:
Congestion pricing is dead. Long live congestion pricing.
The Assembly still has to come up with a plan to deal with a $17 billion transit deficit in a $29 billion capital plan. As Gene Russianoff at the Straphangers Campaign said, ‘That’s more hole than plan.’
And, taking something of a more “brighter side” look, from TA:
There is still a lot that the Mayor and City Council can do without the state but it’s certainly less than what we could do with that $354 million in federal money, the hundreds of millions of dollars in congestion pricing revenue and the billions in bond money that we could have done with congestion pricing.
Whole statements can be found here.
There’s going to be lots written about this. We’re probably going to take a pass on most of it, except the imminent fiery quotes from Bloomberg. Know full well that you can find the best commiserating shoulders to cry on over at Streetsblog. We’ll be over there, handkerchief in hand, for the rest of the week, no doubt.