Aaron Naparstek

Below is a summary of the congestion pricing deal struck this afternoon by Governor Spitzer, Mayor Bloomberg, Assembly Speaker Silver and Senate Leader Bruno.

Press release from Campaign for New York's Future: 

According to NY1, Governor Spitzer just announced "that the state has given the city the green light to proceed with the plan, but he stressed that no agreement has been reached on tolls." NY1 reports, "The agreement creates a commission of representatives from the mayor's office and the governor's office, City Council members, and State Senate and Assembly members to review plans for implementation."

On Monday, July 9 the transportation committee of Community Board 8 on Manhattan's Upper East Side took up the issues of congestion pricing and a new pair of crosstown bike lanes.

U-Turn: Albany and Mayor on the Brink of a Congestion Pricing Deal (News, Sun) At Long Last, a (Watered Down) Pricing Deal? (Daily Politics) DOT Applies Its Signature Green Paint to DUMBO Plaza (Brownstoner) Community-Based Traffic Calming & Mural for Deadly 3rd Ave. (Gowanus Lounge) Old Martha’s Vineyard Ferry Will Serve Governor’s Island (Sun) Big … Continued

The Solaire building in Battery Park City bills itself as "America's first environmentally advanced residential tower." Here is a letter that building management just sent to all tenants:

Since we're talking about urban bike-sharing today, it's worth taking a quick look at Germany's Call-a-Bike program. The remarkable thing about this system is that you don't even need to leave the bicycles in a set parking spot. Using your cell phone you call the phone number on the side of the bike, a magic ray beam shoots out of the sky an unlocks the bicycle's rear wheel (I may not have the technological details correct there), and when you're done riding you call the number to close your transaction and leave the bike standing at any street corner in the city. It costs 6 cents per minute. Call-a-Bike is run by the Die Bahn, the German national transportation agency.

David Haskell, executive director of the Forum for Urban Design, and organizer of last week's New York Bike-Share Project demonstration in Soho, says it's time for New York City to ditch the London model and take a closer look at the traffic-reduction techniques Paris has implemented without congestion pricing. An op/ed in today's New York Times focuses on one aspect of the Paris approach, bike-sharing:

New York State Assembly Members Jose Rivera, Richard Brodsky and Adriano Espaillat

Fingers Point as Traffic Plan Runs Aground (NYT) Congestion Pricing Still Alive, Barely (News) Resigned Mayor Turns His Eye to New Issues (Sun)  Mayor Blames Albany Inaction for Traffic Plan Gridlock (NY1) 30+ Years of Trying, Still the Politics of Pricing is Impossible (Streetsblog) Sewell Chan has Yesterday’s Blow-by-Blow (City Room)  Senate Minority Leader Malcolm … Continued