Skip to Content
Streetsblog New York City home
Streetsblog New York City home
Log In
Ad Nauseam

NYC’s “Flawed” Traffic Plan Brought to You by… Toyota


Grim picture: A screenshot from the CBS Channel 2 web site.

CBS's Marcia Kramer adds some splatter paint to the Village Voice's "grim picture of the state of civic engagement" on congestion pricing.

On Tuesday, her Channel 2 special investigative feature let us know that one guy in London has foiled that city's congestion pricing cameras by using a fake license plate. Headline? "Bloomberg Wants to Bring Flawed London Plan to NYC." Oh, and by the way, 2007 Toyota's are priced to move!

CBS 2's award-winning political reporter tells us that "Londoners are now cloning license plates to avoid congestion fees" (note they're not copying license plates -- they're "cloning" them. Terrifying!) She doesn't tell us how widespread the practice is, how many people might be doing it or how it may be impacting a system that has reduced traffic congestion by 70,000 vehicles per day and is raising $250 million a year for mass transit (You'd think it would be easy for an award-winning investigative reporter to find this sort of information). Rather, Kramer gives some airtime to Westchester obstructionist Assembly member Richard Brodsky, incorrectly referring to him as "head of the Congestion Mitigation Commission."

After analyzing all of the public testimony delivered during the recent Traffic Mitigation Commission hearings, Environmental Defense's Neil Giaccobi found that once New Yorkers "get into the details" of what congestion pricing is and how it works "they come around to it." But right now, most New Yorkers "fundamentally don't understand what congestion pricing is."

Is it any wonder why?

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog New York City

Eyes on the Street: DOT’s ‘Broadway Vision’ Starts to Clear Up

The Department of Transportation has transformed Broadway into a new corridor for pedestrians and cyclists.

July 8, 2025

Amsterdam Leads the Way on E-Bike Regulation — Should New York Follow Suit?

The city's biking- and walking-friendly streets expose the hypocrisy harsh e-bike enforcement without better street design.

July 8, 2025

Tuesday’s Headlines: Rethinking Avenue B Edition

DOT is taking feedback on the future of Avenue B. Plus more news.

July 8, 2025

Eric Adams’s ‘Dept. of Sustainable Delivery’ Isn’t Actually A Department

The "Department of Sustainable Delivery" will launch with 45 "peace officers" in 2028, the mayor said on Monday.

July 7, 2025

New Air Quality Stats Dispel Earlier Forecasts for Congestion Pricing Pollution

Air quality has improved or remained steady across the five boroughs since congestion pricing launched in January, city health department data showed.

July 7, 2025

‘Rush’ Routes Debut in Queens Bus Map Overhaul More Than Five Years in the Making

The MTA's new "rush" routes make fewer stops in busy downtown areas to avoid wasted time merging in and out of traffic.

July 7, 2025
See all posts