The NY Times editorial quoted below spells out the current stalemate on congestion pricing and consequences of NOT passing this much-needed piece of legislation (including a subway fare hike as high as 50%). I am thoroughly embarassed by the Democratic Party “leadership” that could cost our city $500 million in federal funds earmarked for public transit improvements because they are pandering to parking garage owners and the small minority of New Yorkers who commute by car. If you feel the same way, now is the time to let them know.

 

June 25, 2007

Editorial

Congestion Pricing Deadline

New Yorkers and anyone else who rides public transportation in and around the city should mark July 16 on their calendars. By that date, if state lawmakers do their jobs, they will have paved the way to ensuring billions of dollars of new cash to maintain and expand mass transit. If not, the current $2 fare for a bus or subway ride can be expected to increase at least 20 percent and maybe as much as 50 percent. The choice is that stark, and riders, who will pay the price if legislators fail, will know exactly where to direct their pique.

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Don’t be fooled by the “tax on working people” rhetoric from politicians who speak for a small but vocal minority of their constituents; the vast majority of working people in New York City commute by public transportation. Those of us who do not drive in Manhattan during business hours are already paying a “tax” in the form of gridlocked streets, polluted air, and a potential subway fare hike, while automobiles and trucks use the streets for free.

What the city desperately needs is dramatically improved bus service (Bus Rapid Transit!), a real bicycle infrastructure (one you would feel comfortable sending your children or grandparents out on), expanded commuter rail service, and subway improvements to handle increasing ridership (with no fare hike). Congestion pricing is the only proposal on the table to fund these improvements; it has also been proven (most recently in London) to reduce motor vehicle congestion and air pollution while increasing transit and bicycle use.

This film was produced by Streetfilms with The Campaign for New York’s Future, “a coalition of over 80 civic, business, environmental, labor, religious, public health and community organizations partnering to make every neighborhood in NYC a great place to live and work.”

The good folks at Neighborhood Energy Network are co-sponsoring a screening of “Contested Streets” this Thursday night, with a post-film discussion moderated by Dani Simons of Transportation Alternatives.

Through interviews with leading historians, urban planners, and government officials, this 57-minute film explores the history and culture of New York City streets from pre-automobile times to the present. CONTESTED STREETS shows how the city with the best mass transit in the United States has slowly relinquished a richly used public space to cars and trucks. New York is compared to London, Paris and Copenhagen, where curtailing automobile use in recent years has improved air quality, mitigated noise pollution and enriched commercial, recreational and community interaction. Congestion pricing, bus rapid transit (BRT) and pedestrian and bike infrastructure schemes are examined in depth.

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