"The straphanger in my judgment will have to play a role, but if Wall Street turns around and congestion pricing is passed then maybe we can give the straphanger a break," Sander said. "We'll see."
While a Wall Street turn-around and the passage of congestion pricing are a couple of very big if's, Sander's comment was notable enough that Transportation Alternatives saw fit to issue a press release.
"Sooner or later, New Yorkers will have a choice to make between increasing MTA fares and implementing congestion pricing fees," Executive Director Paul Steely White, said. "Unfortunately, 'none of the above' is not a realistic, long-term option."
Congestion pricing advocates were buoyed by Sander's comment as it represented the first time that the MTA has suggested openness to the idea of using congestion pricing funds to prevent or delay a transit fare hike. Up to now, discussions of these policy initiatives have proceeded along completely separate tracks.
The linkage is potentially significant. A July Quinnipiac Poll showed that New York City voters oppose congestion pricing 52 - 41 percent, but would support the measure 58 - 36 percent if congestion pricing fees were used to prevent hikes in mass transit fares and bridge and tunnel tolls. In other words, the MTA's willingness to put fare hikes on hold during a congestion pricing pilot project may be a key to Mayor Bloomberg's traffic mitigation plan gaining approval.
MTA Press Secretary Jeremy Soffin, however, says no such trade-off is in the works. "The MTA strongly supports congestion pricing both to limit congestion and help fund the transit system's capital needs. Congestion pricing revenues would still be a couple of years off, and were never considered as a substitute for the proposed cost-of-living fare and toll increase."
* * * * * On Saturday, November 17, the MTA will be hosting a "public engagement workshop" to discuss the proposed fare and toll hikes. This unprecedented, interactive public input format is being designed "to provide the MTA with informed, meaningful input about which options you prefer and your priorities for the future of the MTA," according to an agency spokesperson.
AARON NAPARSTEK is the founder and former editor-in-chief of Streetsblog. Based in Brooklyn, New York, Naparsteks 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. Naparstek is the author of "Honku: The Zen Antidote for Road Rage" (Villard, 2003), a book of humorous haiku poetry inspired by the endless motorist sociopathy observed from his apartment window. Prior to launching Streetsblog, Naparstek worked as an interactive media producer, pioneering some of the Web's first music web sites, online communities, live webcasts and social networking services. Naparstek is currently in Cambridge with his wife and two young sons where he is enjoying a Loeb Fellowship at Harvard University's Graduate School of Design. He has a master's degree from Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism and a bachelor's degree from Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. Naparstek is a co-founder of the Park Slope Neighbors community group and the Grand Army Plaza Coalition. You can find more of his work here: http://www.naparstek.com.
New York City's congestion pricing tolls are one historic step closer to reality after Wednesday's 11-1 MTA board vote. Next step: all those pesky lawsuits.