Congestion Pricing

Bloomberg Upbeat, Media Less So, Ahead of PlaNYC Hearings

With a scant few weeks left in the session, the state Assembly has scheduled the first of six hearings on PlaNYC -- including, of course, congestion pricing -- for Friday at 10 a.m. in the auditorium of the Association of the Bar of the City of New York, at 42 West 44th Street.

By Brad Aaron

11:31 AM EDT on June 5, 2007

With a scant few weeks left in the session, the state Assembly has scheduled the first of six hearings on PlaNYC — including, of course, congestion pricing — for Friday at 10 a.m. in the auditorium of the Association of the Bar of the City of New York, at 42 West 44th Street.

The Daily Politics reports:

The hearing will be conducted by the Assembly Ways and Means Committee,
chaired by Herman “Denny” Farrell, Jr.; the Transportation Committee,
chaired by David Gantt; the Corporations, Authorities and Commissions
Committee, chaired by Richard Brodsky; the Energy Committee, chaired by
Paul Tonko; the Environmental Conservation Committee, chaired by Robert
Sweeney; and the Cities Committee, chaired by James Brennan.

But is it too little, too late? Though Mayor Bloomberg has refused to criticize state lawmakers for premature criticism of congestion pricing, the Daily News, for one, has not held back:

No bills have been introduced, no hearings held. Gov. Spitzer didn’t
mention the topic when he met with legislative leaders last week, until
Senate GOP leader Joe Bruno chided him for the oversight.
At this rate, the waters of melting glaciers will be lapping at the
Empire State Building doors before Mayor Bloomberg’s proposal gets out
of committee. When it comes to gridlock, the Manhattan streets have
nothing on the Capitol corridors.

The editorial board at the Times has expressed similar sentiments (though you’ll need a subscription to read them at this point). And the News blog’s Elizabeth Benjamin wonders if the hearings are a sign of progress at all.

I asked [Press Secretary] Stu Loeser whether Mayor Bloomberg plans to participate in
the Assembly Democrats’ first hearing on congestion pricing in
Manhattan this Friday, and also if he considers the event a positive
development or a stalling tactic.
Bloomberg is “looking forward” to testifying, Loeser replied,
adding: “It’s very encouraging that the Speaker has made it a priority
in the last month of session to find time to discuss the merits of
PlaNYC.”

So what are Assembly members — the ones who haven’t already endorsed PlaNYC — concerned about? Pricing opponent Richard Brodsky (D-Westchester) told Benjamin that Bloomberg can expect questions regarding “the consequences of installing hundreds more cameras throughout
Manhattan to determine who needs to be charged for entering the
congestion pricing zone and the idea of charging for access to public
roads based on an individual’s ability to pay.”

Photo: stgermh/Flickr

Brad Aaron

Brad Aaron began writing for Streetsblog in 2007, after years as a reporter, editor, and publisher in the alternative weekly business. Brad adopted New York's dysfunctional traffic justice system as his primary beat for Streetsblog. He lives in Manhattan.

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