State Lawmakers Block N.Y.C. Congestion-Fee Plan
New York state lawmakers Monday put the brakes on New York City’s plan to charge congestion fees on cars and trucks in the city’s business district, the New York Times reported Tuesday.
The state Senate convened without taking action on the measure after it became clear there was not enough support for its passage, the Times said in a front-page story.
The plan would have slapped fees of $21 on trucks and $8 on cars that traveled in the central Manhattan zone below 86th Street.
State Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver proposed sending the plan to a commission to study alternative ways to reduce congestion, the Times reported. Silver had been quoted in previous news reports at being opposed to the plan.
The move was a setback to New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who had lobbied hard for the plan, the Times said.
Monday was a deadline for the city to receive as much as $500 million in federal transportation aid that could have been tied to the measure’s passage, but lawmakers said there were too many unanswered questions on the plan, which would have been the first such scheme for an American city, the Times said.
Bloomberg’s office had no immediate comment and it was not clear if the federal aid would still be available, the Times reported.
