Not Quite Dead: Congestion Pricing Plan May Move Forward

State Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno said Thursday that the state will approve a plan to reduce traffic and air pollution in Manhattan under a deal reached with legislative leaders and Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

A spokesman for Gov. Eliot Spitzer confirmed the deal, which is being written into draft legislation and a letter of agreement, Bruno said. A Bloomberg proposal to levy tolls on some commuters -- a sticking point in the talks -- has been dropped for now. The agreement will allow the city to qualify as a federal pilot program and receive as much as $500 million in federal funds to improve mass transit, Bruno said.

A commission will decided how to implement the plan and the state Legislature will ultimately have to approve the its recommendations, Bruno said.

So, they've agreed in principle on a plan to impose congestion pricing if a commission deems it necessary and the state legislature approves. That takes quite a bit of the power away from Mayor Bloomberg, who was hoping to have more direct control over matters. There's the not insigificant part about how the money will be spent - to ensure that it all goes to mass transit.

It isn't entirely clear that the federal government will approve this hasty agreement either. The City was supposed to have a plan in place by Monday, but missed that deadline.

As it is, I still can't support congestion pricing because it is simply a regressive tax. If Mayor Bloomberg were truly serious about reducing traffic and emissions in Midtown, he could take one step that doesn't require state or federal approval and would reduce traffic considerably - banning all car traffic in the zone of his choice. We've seen NYC limit cars in multiple areas around the city, especially in the vicinity of Ground Zero. However, there isn't money to be made in that respect, so congestion pricing comes into play.

There are simply insufficient alternatives for those who drive into Manhattan currently, especially from points in Rockland, Westchester, Long Island and New Jersey. The increased burden of alternative parking locations will increase congestion and pollution in areas adjacent to the congestion pricing zone, and simply shift the problems elsewhere.

So, how did this latest deal come to be? Horse trading:

The agreement is part of a larger deal that includes reform of the state's campaign finance laws sought by Spitzer, but with compromises pushed by Bruno.