New York Manhattan Congestion Charge Plans
It’s already a reality in some parts of the world, and now the strategy of “congestion pricing” looks set to make its debut in New York City.
The plan is to charge drivers a fee to enter Manhattan in an attempt to control traffic and reduce pollution. The plan was on New York’s radar screen for a while, but recently Assembly speaker Sheldon Silver jumped on the bandwagon by developing ideas for a congestion charge.
The “congestion pricing” plan of Silver’s opponent, Mayor Michael Bloomberg, was $8 per car for entering the city below 86th street. Bloomberg’s idea was criticised because it would actually give free passage to drivers who come into Manhattan via the Triborough Bridge, the Midtown Tunnel, or Battery Tunnel.
According to autoblog report the plan still needs final approval from the City Council and State Legislature, which is projected to go Bloomberg’s way on March 31, 2008.
The question is how to charge everyone fairly and equally since people can arrive in Manhattan south of 86th Street (where the toll would take effect) in ways that already require them to pay a toll (like the Battery Tunnel, which is $8 round-trip with E-Z Pass).
Photo: © warrenski
No related posts.