Congestion Pricing

PlaNYC identifies North Riverdale, a neighborhood represented by Bronx Assembly member Jeffrey Dinowitz, as one of 22 New York City neighborhoods with a higher than average concentration of Manhattan-bound drivers. (Download the transportation section, page 86)

Car & Travel magazine is published by the Automobile Club of New York, also known as AAA. In addition to being the friendly guys who schlep out at a moment's notice to tow your broken-down car, the Automobile Club has, over the course of decades, done everything in its power to ensure that nothing like congestion pricing will ever be implemented in New York City. They even opposed park-o-meters when they were first introduced in the 1930's.

The16% of Bronx residents who own cars tend to have significantly higher incomes than those who do not, according to data from the State Department of Motor Vehicles and the 2000 Census.

A Quinnipiac Poll released today shows that citywide support for congestion pricing remains consistent at 57 percent -- compared to 58 percent a month ago -- assuming fees can be used to prevent transit fare increases. Given those conditions, Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens showed majority support for pricing, with Staten Island opposed (45% in favor to 50% against) and the Bronx nearly split (47% in favor to 49% against).

Yesterday, Mayor Bloomberg announced that the city would today issue a Request for Expressions of Interest (RFEI) for firms "with the ability to perform all or most of the services required to design, implement, operate and maintain a congestion pricing program." Though RFEI submissions will not constitute actual bids for contract, the city is hinting that the firm eventually chosen for the job will be selected from the RFEI pool -- assuming congestion pricing clears city and state lawmakers, of course.

We can barely keep up with the international congestion pricing headlines these days:

Here's a job listing you're not going to find on Craigslist Westchester or in the Queens Tribune: The New York City Department of Transportation's new Office of Planning and Sustainability is (or was) looking for an Assistant Commissioner for Congestion Pricing. 

The Daily Politics' Liz Benjamin captured this little off-the-cuff gem in her interview yesterday with Brooklyn Council member Lew Fidler. Fidler, who called the 17-member congestion pricing commission "a sham," is emerging as one of City Council's most outspoken congestion pricing critics: