From article, (Mayor Bill de Blasio said Thursday he will only support Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s plan to charge cars for entering Manhattan’s business district if the proceeds go strictly to transit improvements in the five boroughs.De Blasio demands no congestion-pricing revenue go to suburbs
Mayor Bill de Blasio said Thursday he will only support Gov. Andrew Cuomo's plan to charge cars for entering Manhattan's business district if the proceeds go strictly to transit improvements in the five boroughs. At an unrelated press conference at City Hall, the mayor framed his long-standing call for a "lockbox" on congestion pricing revenue as an ultimatum.
At an unrelated press conference at City Hall, the mayor framed his long-standing call for a “lockbox” on congestion pricing revenue as an ultimatum. Such a demand could prove a sticking point with the suburban lawmakers who will need to sign off on the program in Albany—and whose constituents, according to transportation guru Charles Komanoff’s model, would contribute between 17% and 22% of congestion fees.
“If it doesn’t have a lockbox, we’re not going to be a part of it,” de Blasio said.
It’s unclear how much say de Blasio will actually have on the issue. When former Mayor Michael Bloomberg attempted to institute congestion pricing a decade ago, he first had the City Council pass a “home rule” message asking Albany to vote the program through—a call the Assembly subsequently rejected.
But at a recent Crain’s breakfast forum, counsel to the governor Alphonso David asserted the state did not need any kind of local approval to put the program in place. Council Speaker Corey Johnson, a congestion-pricing supporter, pushed back on this claim and said he intended to shepherd through a home-rule resolution once the state Legislature commits to a plan.
Also unclear is whether Cuomo will make an effort to pass the entire proposal this year. He left most of it out of both his budget address in January and his 30-day budget amendments this month.)
No comments:
Post a Comment