De Blasio Sounds Ready to Negotiate on Congestion Pricing
Testifying in Albany, the mayor outlined what he wants to see in a congestion pricing plan - a noticeable shift from earlier statements disparaging the policy. Bill de Blasio spent the summer and fall knocking congestion pricing, but since the release of road pricing recommendations by Governor Cuomo's Fix NYC panel [ PDF], the mayor has softened his stance.
From article, (Bill de Blasio spent the summer and fall knocking congestion pricing, but since the release of road pricing recommendations by Governor Cuomo’s Fix NYC panel [PDF], the mayor has softened his stance.
De Blasio first showed signs of opening up to congestion pricing last month, when he called the Fix NYC proposal an “improvement over previous plans.”
Testifying in Albany yesterday, de Blasio refrained from calling it a “regressive tax,” a go-to attack that he leveled against congestion pricing repeatedly (and erroneously) last year. Instead he told legislators that the Fix NYC version of congestion pricing is “fundamentally different, better” than the 2008 version under Mayor Bloomberg and the Move NY toll reform plan.
It’s strange to hear that from the mayor, since the Fix NYC plan isn’t all that different from those earlier plans, and it could do as much or more to reduce traffic on NYC streets. But whatever the reason, de Blasio sounded ready to negotiate, laying out conditions for his support:
"If there were a congestion pricing plan there are several measures critical for New York City residents. One — a requirement that all proceeds are invested in mass transit projects in the five boroughs only. And two — the City of New York needs the ability to sign off on transit projects and priorities. Also, any pricing scheme for passenger vehicles should take the needs of New Yorkers with hardships into account including low income New Yorkers and those with disabilities."
For the most part these are reasonable conditions.)
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