But I’m certainly not ready to drop the tolls from the Triboro — isn’t that the Robert F Kennedy Bridge now anyway? It must be the biggest moneymaker in the system. In fact, I wouldn’t drop ANY of the tolls into Manhattan, not even into Inwood-Washington Heights.

Funny to see that Sam wants to rebuild the Belt Parkway to allow trucks. I’ve been thinking we will need to rebuild the Belt Parkway to put it atop levees.

When the greenhouse gases from vehicle pollution cause the Greenland ice cap to melt and the sea level to rise, much of Brooklyn will join Atlantis. Or join Amsterdam if we put levees around the city.

Meanwhile Sadik-Kahn is doing a great job of reducing traffic congestion in Midtown by taking back the streets for pedestrians and bike lanes. Usually people talk about “congestion” and only mean cars, because drivers are important. But actually, the sidewalk congestion caused by wide streets and narrow sidewalks oppresses many more people than the excess of cars on the road. Let’s act like a democracy and take care of the sidewalk congestion for the majority of New Yorkers who walk, ride transit, and bike. Let Jersey worry about the cars and their drivers.

There is another message, here, that LaHood is giving us. The money that was ear marked for NYC two years back was forfeited after the State legislature voted against it by simply not voting at all (talk about cowardice!). But now LaHood says: “The money … is still at the Department…” Well, not exactly just sitting there in a shoe box waiting for NYC. What is happening, is that LaHood needs to find someone bold enough to start taking the advice of the National Surface Transportation Infrastructure Finance Commission, and start charging mileage-based fees. Mayor Bloomberg is just the man.

So what NYC needs to do is to think about a proper mileage-based scheme, instead of gantry-madness. One that can eventually manage congestion in all five boroughs, with lower rates outside Manhattan. One that would even allow Manhattan to sell gas without a gas-tax to participants in a proper ‘pay-for-use’ system.