New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg got quite a lift when the U. S. Department of Transportation announced yesterday that it was kicking in $354 million for his proposal to charge drivers a toll for entering Manhattan below 86th Street. The proposal was under strident opposition from politicians in the other four boroughs, not to mention from the bridge and tunnel crowd. Drivers must pay $8 and trucks $21 a day to enter or leave Manhattan below 86th Street on weekdays during the workday. Those who drive only within the congestion zone would pay $4 a day for cars and $5.50 for trucks. The plan is not only to reduce traffic, but to raise money to pay for large-scale transportation projects, including expanded public transportation for those who normally commute to New York by car. No doubt grousing about the fairness of the plan will continue in fevered pitch for some time. But you've got to hand it to Bloomberg for taking a bold approach to a problem that is only getting worse. The average New Yorker spends 49 hours stuck in traffic every year, up from 18 hours in 1982. Even Mary Peters, secretary for the DOT and a Republican, noted that "we must stop relying on yesterday's ideas to fight today's traffic jams."
Sources: New York Times, MSNBC
