Albany Reform

State Assembly Meeting in Manhattan to Talk Congestion Pricing

Brooklyn Assembly Member Jim Brennan (right) tells me that he sees sentiment against Mayor Bloomberg's congestion pricing plan running at about "three- or four-to-one against" among his colleagues. Brennan suspects that the plan may not even pass the Republican-controlled Senate.

By Aaron Naparstek

1:01 PM EDT on July 16, 2007

Brooklyn Assembly Member Jim Brennan (right) tells me that he sees sentiment against Mayor Bloomberg’s congestion pricing plan running at about “three- or four-to-one against” among his colleagues. Brennan suspects that the plan may not even pass the Republican-controlled Senate.

While Brennan supports congestion pricing himself, he is concerned that advocates have “over-sold the benefits to transit.” The $380 million per year that would be raised by congestion pricing is “a drop in the bucket compared to the enormity of the fiscal crisis” that awaits the MTA.”

Other congestion pricing updates:

Sewell Chan has a minute-by-minute account of the morning’s meetings in Albany (City Room)
Senate Dems not on board for congestion pricing (Daily Politics)
Bloomberg has nothing but good things to say about the State Senate (Politicker)

Also, Campaign for New York’s Future is rallying at the State Assembly offices, 250 Broadway at 1:00 pm.

Aaron Naparstek

Aaron Naparstek is the founder and former editor-in-chief of Streetsblog. Based in Brooklyn, New York, Naparstek's journalism, advocacy and community organizing work has been instrumental in growing the bicycle network, removing motor vehicles from parks, and developing new public plazas, car-free streets and life-saving traffic-calming measures across all five boroughs. He was also one of the original cast members of the "War on Cars" podcast. You can find more of his work on his website.