Congestion Pricing Editorial
Sticking with The Brooklyn Eagle for a moment, the paper featured an editorial on “Congestion Pricing” written by Dennis Holt. Here is a sample:
y the end of this week, all of us will know the probably unpleasant details from the Ravitch report — ideas on how to generate revenues for the MTA, sure to impact everyone.
One of those “details” has been widely broadcast — tolls on the East River and Harlem River bridges, at last.
Some estimates indicate that the East River tolls would generate $600 million, or about half of the money shortfall forecast by the MTA. The recommendations, which have to be approved by the state, are sure to be acrimonious and to be discussed far too long.
Let’s keep in mind that a street toll is, by any other name, a congestion pricing policy. Congestion pricing, by that phrase, has not appeared much in the discourse of recent weeks.
But tolls on the East River bridges are an example of congestion pricing. In fact, most experts believe that bridge tolls would be a much more effective and efficient way to reduce auto traffic in Manhattan than the original Bloomberg plan.
Click here for the complete editorial.
xoxo Transit Blogger
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What about imposing an “HOV 3” policy for all cars (Trucks, Cabs, Liveries, and “limited” exceptions for Police and Firefighters, between 5am and 6pm, Monday to Friday, south of Central Park, regardless of which route into middle and south Manhattan is used.
This could be imposed by the City based on the safety concerns sighting the need to free up traffic so emergency and transit vehicles could move as necessary thought Manhattan streets.
All residents with vehicles registered in New York City, within 2 miles of a Subway, SIRT, LIRR or Metro North RR station, would receive a “Resident Parking Permit” for an administrative cost only, allowing them day time parking in their local neighborhoods.
These resident parking permits would start the same day as the HOV 3 restrictions would start for middle and southern Manhattan.
My bet is that this will work well for moving Manhattan traffic, while protecting outer borough residents.
It might also then create a ‘cry’ for congestion pricing to allow those who wish to dive into manhattan the ability to pay for the right to drive into Manhattan if they still want to.