N.Y. Gov. Sees Passage of Congestion Fee
A proposed plan to charge fees on vehicles entering New York’s business district could win approval from state lawmakers as soon as Thursday, according to Gov. Eliot Spitzer, Bloomberg News reported.
Before it can be enacted, the state legislature must approve the traffic-control plan, which is aimed reducing congestion by imposing fees on peak-hour city traffic, Bloomberg said.
The proposal would charge $21 for trucks and $8 for cars entering Manhattan south of 86th Street between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. weekdays, to cut back on traffic and pollution.
An agreement with the legislature is possible by Thursday, when the legislative session is scheduled to end, said Spitzer, a Democrat.
If no agreement is reached this week, Spitzer said there will be time for legislators to meet next month and pass a bill before a federal deadline, Bloomberg reported.
U.S. Department of Transportation officials said in a letter last week to Spitzer and state lawmakers that the plan must be approved by July 16 for New York to qualify for up to $500 million of federal aid, part of a $1.4 billion pool of federal funds available for congestion-relief plans around the country.
The Teamsters union has backed the plan, which may give fee breaks to new or retrofitted trucks with cleaner-burning engines.
