Here Comes Congestion... Pricing
March 24th, 2008
Another point for the Bloomberg administration.
Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno has introduced legislation that implements the mayor’s revised congestion pricing plan – which has now been reworked by the congestion pricing commission and other state leaders.
The introduction comes with a ticking clock — the deadline to approve a plan by the State Legislature and the City Council is in about two weeks.
Even so, the mayor as of late has quickly rounded up a few victories, Bruno’s introduction being the most recent following the governor’s endorsement on Friday.
There is a long road ahead though — most notably the State Assembly and the City Council where support has been tepid. Today the council is holding a marathon oversight hearing on the plan. Stay tuned for an update later today.
Check out our Issue of the Week here for more details, and below is the mayor’s statement on Bruno’s introduction.
By Courtney Gross on March 24, 2008, 1:18 pm“Senator Bruno and his conference are once again demonstrating their commitment to the people of this City and State by introducing Governor Paterson’s program bill today that will allow us to implement congestion pricing – a plan that an overwhelming majority of New Yorkers support when the money is tied to improving mass transit. This bill will reduce traffic, cut pollution and raise revenue for transit projects, not just in the City, but throughout our region. Together with the Governor, we will continue to work to address the concerns of our partners in the State Legislature and the City Council – including concerns about the impact on lower income drivers and making sure we receive revenue from commuters who use Port Authority crossings. The timely passage of this bill will result in New York getting $354 million in federal funds, which will be used for immediate transit improvements. This is another step in the right direction.”
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March 26th, 2008 at 4:41 pm
[...] And today, Republican Senate Majority Leader Joe Bruno backed the plan. [...]