Congestion Pricing

Bronx Assembly member Jeffrey Dinowitz is hosting a forum tonight on Mayor Bloomberg's congestion pricing plan. Speaking in favor of congestion pricing will be Kathryn Wylde, President and CEO of the Partnership for New York City. Speaking in opposition to congestion pricing will be Assemblyman Richard Brodsky, Chairman of the Assembly Committee on Corporations, Authorities and Commissions. Both are members of the 17-person Congestion Mitigation Commission.

The deal that produced the 17-member Congestion Mitigation Commission mandated the MTA to "submit comments on the Mayor's [congestion pricing] plan" by October 1, 2007. In these comments, the MTA was instructed to provide the Commission with three items:

Matthew Schuerman at the Observer reports that New York City congestion pricing opponents sought to commission UCLA urban planning guru Donald Shoup to do a study of New York City's parking policies. Shoup declined their request. Presumably, congestion pricing opponents hoped a Shoup study might show that New York City could solve some portion of its traffic congestion problem through changes in on-street parking policy.

MTA CEO, Queens native and LIRR commuter Lee Sander received a warm reception then "faced some tough questions when he addressed a combined meeting of the Saul Weprin and Eleanor Roosevelt Democratic Clubs on Thursday in Hollis Hills" last Thursday, the Queens Chronicle reports:

Westchester Assembly member Richard Brodsky on Mayor Bloomberg's congestion pricing proposal: "My problem is that I don't understand what you've proposed."

Over the past few weeks, the Tri-State Transportation Campaign has been collaborating with environmental economist Charles Komanoff to assess the impact of various value-pricing scenarios on travel patterns at MTA toll facilities, like the Throgs Neck Bridge, at right. From this week's Mobilizing the Region:

Ahead of this afternoon's opening meeting of the 17-member Traffic Mitigation Commission, the Campaign for New York's Future sends along a press release noting two recent studies about the impact of traffic congestion on the region's health and economy: