Bloomy Lays Out Plans for the Future of NYC

1010 WINS AUdio: Bloomy's Plans for NYC's Future

The administration faces considerable opposition that includes driver advocates such as AAA New York, national trucking industry leaders and elected officials, including those who represent the neighborhoods of commuters who drive into Manhattan each day and would have to pay the proposed $8 fee.

Some opponents complain that Manhattan will get the benefit of reduced congestion, while drivers who still commute from Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, Staten Island, New Jersey and upstate New York will shoulder the financial burden. And outer borough businesses that make deliveries face an even higher charge of $21 for trucks entering the zone, which extends south from 86th Street. The zone includes the city's main business, financial and shopping districts and many of its most famous landmarks and tourist attractions, such as Wall Street, Broadway and Central Park.

State Sen. John Sabini, a Queens Democrat who sits on the transportation committee, said support for the mayor's plan "begins to evaporate outside the boundaries'' of Manhattan.

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In the early stages of the battle, it is beginning to take shape as the age-old struggle between an out of touch Manhattan-centric mayor and the working people in the outer boroughs. Some say that gap widened last week, when Bloomberg shrugged off the fee by comparing it to the price of a movie.

"It sounds like a lot of money, but you go to the movies, it's 12 bucks, so let's put some of this stuff in perspective here,'' he said. "People that drive into the city generally - you have to be careful to not say everybody - but if you look at the statistics, tend to be people that can afford it, because otherwise they'll take mass transit.''

Democratic Rep. Anthony Weiner, who represents parts of Brooklyn and Queens and is running for mayor in 2009, opposes congestion pricing and said those comments show a misunderstanding of middle-class concerns.

"This proposal is not only something that divides us geographically, but it does create class conflict,'' he said. "There are people who would gladly pay $8 or even $80 to get around town, but for a lot of people I represent, they're going to be forced to pay this because they don't have any choice.''

The Bloomberg administration, along with environmentalists and alternative transportation enthusiasts, say everyone will benefit from less traffic and the transit projects that will be funded by hundreds of millions of dollars in revenues. The city also promises congestion pricing won't happen without upgrades to other transit options such as rapid buses in underserved areas, giving commuters another choice if they elect not to drive.

Bloomberg promised last week he would "fight like heck'' to make his case. The city has already begun lobbying, and legislation will be formally drawn up shortly, Doctoroff said. Aides say the campaign could possibly include television advertising.

Meanwhile, the administration is applying for federal funding to finance the three-year pilot program, with a startup cost estimated at $225 million.

Officials say the timeline depends on Albany, but the written plan put together by the mayor's Office of Long-Term Planning and Sustainability proposes to have the system up and running by spring of 2009.

So if congestion pricing is such a heavy lift - and many say long shot - why would the second-term mayor take it on now, with fewer than 1,000 days left in office? Perhaps to get the credit down the road, observers say.

"He's at least starting the conversation, he's putting it on the table to debate,'' said Douglas Muzzio, professor of public affairs at Baruch College. "Now, maybe it's dead on arrival, but there will be a lot of talking about it before it's pronounced dead.''

Bloomberg, who has his legacy to keep in mind, enjoys the idea of being portrayed as a maverick leader unafraid to make unpopular decisions, such as banning smoking from clubs and bars and removing artificial trans fats from restaurant menus.

During a speech on Sunday, he compared himself to leaders who had the vision to propose a sprawling Central Park in the 1850s, when much of Manhattan was still undeveloped, or those who said before the turn of the century that the subway system should extend into what was then still the countryside.

"This is our opportunity to make the type of history that future generations will recognize and that future mayors will invoke on Earth Day,'' he said.

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Highlights of proposals in Mayor Michael Bloomberg's plan for New York City's long term sustainability, released on Earth Day.

TRANSPORTATION:

- To reduce congestion and pollution, charge trucks $21 and cars $8 to drive into Manhattan below 86th Street on weekdays between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m., generating money that can only be used for transit projects and investments.

- The congestion pricing plan is estimated to generate $400 million of revenue in its first year; its pilot costs could be covered by federal grant funding and private support, officials say

- The city envisions giving rapid buses "signal priority,'' where traffic lights recognized approaching buses and adjust signal patterns so the buses stay on schedule.

- The city proposes waiving the sales tax on purchases of fuel-efficient cars.

- Officials are already experimenting with biodiesel, a cleaner-burning fuel made from animal fats or vegetable oils, in its heavy vehicles like sanitation trucks.

WATER:

- The city plans to create a habitat of ribbed mussel beds in a tributary to Jamaica Bay to study how efficient the mollusks act as natural bio-filters. If successful, the program could be expanded to wastewater treatment plants.

- To lower water usage in the city, the city will launch rebate programs starting in 2008 encouraging the installment of efficient toilets, urinals and washing machines.

LAND AND HOUSING:

- Land is a limited resource, so the city must get creative about new places to build housing, such as building platforms over exposed railyards.

- The city says it must reclaim underutilized waterfronts for more housing.

- There are plans to clean up contaminated former industrial sites for housing and other uses.

- To give more New Yorkers access to parks, the city plans to begin opening up schoolyards for neighborhood use on weekends and evenings.

ENERGY:

- The city would offer wide-ranging incentives for efficiency upgrades in existing buildings, like property tax rebates for the installation of solar panels. Later, many efficient methods would be mandated through the building code.

- The plan proposes retiring the city's most inefficient power plants, and updating some with cleaner technology.
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Breakdown of Bloomberg's Idea to Charge Manhattan Drivers:

THE PROPOSAL: As part of a wide-ranging plan to make New York City sustainable over the long term, Mayor Michael Bloomberg is proposing to charge drivers who enter the most congested part of Manhattan.

THE COST: Trucks would pay $21, and cars would pay $8, to enter Manhattan below 86th Street on weekdays between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. The major thruways along Manhattan's east and west sides would still be free. Also, commuters who already pay a toll to come into Manhattan via bridges and tunnels would pay the price of the new fee minus that previous toll.

HOW IT WORKS: There would be no tollbooths, just a network of cameras throughout the city that would capture license plate numbers and either charge a driver's existing commuter account or generate a bill to be paid each time.

ALREADY IN THE ZONE: Those who just drive from point A to point B within the zone would pay half price.

WHO OPPOSES IT: Lawmakers and their constituents from communities outside Manhattan, who say it amounts to a tax on the middle class.