N.Y. State Assembly Rejects NYC’s Congestion-Fee Plan

The New York State Assembly decided not to vote on New York City’s proposal to charge cars and trucks fees upon entering central Manhattan, Bloomberg reported.

A spokesman for Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver (D) said the proposal did not have enough support among the 102 Democrats who hold a majority in the 150-member Assembly, Bloomberg reported.

Assemblyman Richard Brodsky (D), who also opposed the plan, described the sentiment as overwhelmingly against the proposal, Bloomberg reported.

The “congestion pricing” measure faced a midnight deadline to qualify for about $350 million in U.S. Department of Transportation aid to help implement it.

The proposal would have charged cars $7 and trucks $21 to enter Manhattan south of 60th Street on weekdays between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m., though it would have charged just $7 for trucks with newer, cleaner-burning engines.

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who backed the proposal, said the plan would have cut traffic, reduce climate- changing carbon gases and raise $491 million through its fees that would be used to fund mass-transit systems, Bloomberg News reported.

In a statement, American Trucking Associations applauded the legislature’s rejection of the plan.

“Like many areas of the United States, New York’s transportation networks are strained, and the city is searching for a solution to its problem,” said ATA President Bill Graves. “But congestion pricing schemes are unfair, ineffective and ignore our real transportation needs. While there is a need to heavily invest in infrastructure, congestion pricing does little to relieve congestion and is merely a revenue raiser.”

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