Skip to Content
Streetsblog New York City home
Log In
Air Quality

The Ultimate System: Free Mass Transit and Congestion Pricing

2:04 PM EDT on April 20, 2007

mayor_pedicab.jpg

WABC's John Gambling spoke with Michael Bloomberg this morning. In anticipation of the Mayor's Earth Day speech, they discussed everything from congestion charging to light bulbs. Below are some highlights from their conversation; you can download to the entire show here.

On congestion pricing:

If you were to charge, and I'll let you know on Sunday at 12:30, you would take the money and invest it in mass transit. We have to do a much better job of providing mass transit to parts of the city that never invested in it in the past and now we are paying for it.

If you were to design the ultimate system, you would have mass transit be free and charge an enormous amount for cars.

On Plan NYC:

A book lays out 127 different things we think we should do and the cost of every one of them, and the benefit. A handful will not be very controversial and a handful will be very controversial, most will be sort of in the middle.

We have problems right now. Asthma and congestion cost everybody a fortune because the traffic is so bad, and if you think it's bad now it's going to get worse.

On global warming and energy:

People argue about global warming. I can't tell you how fast the oceans will rise, whether they'll rise. I can just tell you a handful of things: dirty air isn't good for you to breathe and we aren't doing our environment any good by dumping all this crap into the air.

You want to solve the energy crisis in this country, you've got to either raise gasoline taxes or force manufacturers to make more fuel-efficient cars. That's the biggest thing you could do.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog New York City

Friday’s Headlines: Yes He Said Yes He Will Yes Edition

That headline above is a reference to the last line of James Joyce's Ulysses, which we won't pretend to have read. But we have that ... and other news.

September 22, 2023

Madness: Port Authority Will Spend $8M to ‘Study’ Widening Outerbridge Crossing

Will this $8.3 million find out anything we don't know about induced demand?

September 22, 2023

Study: How Low-Income People Really Use Micromobility

Shared bikes and scooters are meeting low-income people's basic mobility needs — but they're not being subsidized like it.

September 22, 2023

School Bus Driver Hits Cyclist, Injures 3, On Major Brooklyn School Bike Route

The crash happened on the route of the weekly Bergen bike bus.

September 21, 2023

City of Yes Yes Yes! Adams Calls for Elimination of Parking Mandates on ALL New Housing

Mayor Adams today announced the historic end to one of the city’s most antiquated — and despised — zoning laws requiring the construction of parking with every new development.

September 21, 2023
See all posts