Congested

The Commission looking into implementing Mayor Mike Bloomberg's congestion pricing tax took a few liberties and came up with a plan that will be guaranteed to annoy absolutely everyone. Here's Streetsblog's take:

* An $8 fee to drive into Manhattan south of 60th Street on weekdays between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. (the mayor's plan had a cut-off of 86th Street
* Trucks pay $21, except for low-emission trucks which pay $7
* East and west side highways would NOT be free; the cordon would start at bridge exits in Manhattan
* Increased on-street parking meter rates within the zone
* Elimination of the resident parking tax exemption for off-street parking garages and lots within the zone
* For EZ Pass users, the value of all tolls would be deducted from the fee up to $8
* A $1 surcharge for motorists who don't use EZ Pass
* $1 surcharge on taxi and black car trips that start and end within the zone during pricing hours
* A lockbox, or "dedicated transit account," will be created, aimed mainly at funding the MTA Capital Plan
* Short-term strategic improvements to subway, bus, and express bus service should be put in place before pricing kicks in

Since the Port Authority has already pushed its fare and toll hikes through and will be enacted later this year, it also looks like the Port Authority has pretty much co-opted every dollar that was meant for Bloomberg's congestion pricing tax that was to come from commuters entering Manhattan via New Jersey while those commuting into Manhattan via the Bronx, Queens, or Brooklyn are pretty much screwed. It's on that latter point that I figure that this plan is all but dead.

More to the point, Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver (D-Manhattan) will pretty much kill this plan all on his lonesome because it isn't delivering anything to him and his district.