Nearly one year to the day after its unveiling, Mayor Mike Bloomberg’s congestion pricing plan has died. The plan, which would have brought traffic relief and cleaner air to the city as well as more money for public transit, died when upstate politicians opted against bringing Bloomberg’s groundbreaking and controversial plan to an Assembly vote today.
New York City, meanwhile, will lose out on $354 million pledged to the city from the federal government. The funds were to go toward establishing congestion pricing and funding increases in mass transit service but were predicated on a congestion pricing bill’s earning approval by midnight tonight.
Sewell Chan and Nicholas Confessore from The Times’ City Room blog have the story:
Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg’s ambitious dream to remake New York City streets with an elaborate plan for congestion pricing died on Tuesday in a private conference room on the third floor of the State Capitol.
It was there that Democratic members of the State Assembly, who control the chamber, held one final meeting to debate the merit’s of Mr. Bloomberg’s plan, ultimately voting—in secret—against the idea. The opposition was so overwhelming, said Sheldon Silver, the Assembly speaker, that he would not hold an open vote of the full Assembly, though many Republicans were supportive of Mr. Bloomberg.
“The congestion pricing bill did not have anywhere near a majority of the Democratic conference, and will not be on the floor of the Assembly,” Mr. Silver said following his meeting with fellow Democrats…
“The word ‘elitist’ came up a number of times,” said Assemblyman Mark S. Weprin, a Queens Democrat, who said his constituents overwhelmingly opposed the measure. “The members who oppose it did so because their constituents opposed it,” Mr. Weprin said. He estimated that opinion among Assembly Democrats ran four to one against the plan.
Of course, anyone who knew anything about the plan could tell Weprin that elitism was the cause of its Assembly defeat and not the root of the plan’s problem. The elites – those rich enough to be driving their cars into Manhattan each day – are the ones who were vehemently opposed to it, and they have the resources to fight it. The people who stood the most to benefit from congestion pricing were the everyday commuters who rely on the subways and buses to get them around town. Elitism has everything to do with the vehement Assembly opposition to congestion pricing.
Meanwhile, attention from those of us advocating for mass transit should turn toward the Assembly. By allowing this plan to die in conference, the Assembly just gave up $354 million for mass transit as well as a dedicated annual revenue source for the MTA. It is incumbent upon our elected officials to make good on their promises from the fare hike debate and deliver more state funds to the MTA. While we may be stuck with people too stubborn to give up their automobiles when they don’t need them, we shouldn’t be left with a subpar mass transit system at the same time.
17 comments
Not even a floor vote. I protest.
Somehow, I’m not surprised. Two words: change aversion.
Since people have such a short attention span, there should be a publication that’s printed before the next election. It should list who voted (and how they voted) for important issues, congestion pricing included.
Ah, but that’s the beauty of Shelly Silver. By holding a secret Democratic vote, and then never bringing it up for a full vote in the Assembly, there is no voting record to show who voted for or against the plan.
[…] Kabak of SecondAvenueSagas.com argues that ‘elitism’ was the cause of the defeat of congestion pricing, asserting that lower-Manhattan rush hour commuters were especially well-heeled (I’m assuming […]
It’s a fairly common legislative tactic to kill a piece of controversial legislation in a committee room. This saves legislators from having to put an actual vote on record. It’s actually the sensible thing to do when the leadership knows it’s doomed anyway. In such cases, the only reason to call for a recorded vote is if you want to embarrass people.
However, until about a week ago I still thought it would pass. I didn’t see the state thumbing its nose at $354 million worth of federal funding. If they weren’t willing to vote for that, I can hardly imagine the legislature approving any other additional subsidies for the MTA. It is always the same problem: most of the benefits seem Manhattan-centric, and legislators are too narrow-minded to see the bigger picture.
[…] See, too, 2nd Ave. Sagas. […]
Uggh, I shoulda known they’d do it, but still, very disappointing to say the least.
Well, in that case, you contact Silver here:
http://assembly.state.ny.us/me.....038;sh=con
there was clearly nothing to prevent ‘elite’ manhattanites to buy cars if the roads were cleared. In the long run, I wonder if the number of cars would have been reduced. London is facing a similar problem – the people inside the congestion zone tend to buy more cars once fewer cars start coming in.
Not surprised. Too many Democrats opposing, not to mention the Republican Senate, which doesn’t do anything in favor of NYC unless “tribute” is paid. Early in the process, I shared with a fellow bike/ped activist that CP was a nice idea, but not worth activists’ time, effort and political capital. Assuming CP were to get implemented, there’s no guarantee that it would have the desired effect (unclog the CBD and raise funds for transit). What works in London may or may not work the same way in NYC. And, it does little to change the even worse “auto-centric” mentality beyond the cordon (trying to cross a street near the Belt in Brooklyn yesterday, with a dozen turning cars barrelling through with no regard for the crossing peds, reminded me of just how bad it can be). There you have it. Now we can go back to fighting for smaller, but more “concrete” (pardon the pun) progress (like horn-blowing enforcement).
[…] hours after the congestion pricing bill seemingly died in conference today without an Assembly floor vote, Assemblywoman Joan Millman from Brooklyn’s 52nd […]
i own a business in nyc we employ at least 200 people i am for congestion pricing it would relieve major traffic tie ups in and out of nyc i live in nj and am all for it. let’s get the workers back on the buses and trains where they belong
Does anybody know why everyone who is against Congestion Pricing says it hurts the poor and working class driver? I do not know many poor people who can afford gas, car repair, and insurance for a car… not to mention parking fees (everybody can’t park in the streets).
If the money is going to increase service and other improvements, who is actually being hurt here? Parking in poor neighborhoods? Who is parking in poor neighborhoods? Poor, working class from other poor neighborhoods? What about those who live in NJ? (they don’t pay, they already pay going through the tunnels and bridges) ok, what about those people who live upstate? (couldn’t the money be used for more service and more buses to pick up whose who are not near current trains or buses… and couldn’t the money built larger better parking facilities?)
So who does this 8 dollar charge hurt? I guess maybe small businesses. I don’t know what answers there are for small businesses.
Well? Please someone tell me. Someone please help me understand how congestion pricing hurts poor and working class people?
Why did this happen? And where is the billions and billions of dollars of COMMITTED money coming from to support the MTA’s projects? Are they somehow going to come up with all this money? TAXES??? lol .50 cents for parking a half an hour… ten minutes… one minute? Higher parking tickets? parking tickets not paid go on your credit report??? Trust me folks, we are just gonna get it another way. We are supposed to get 1.something million more residents and somehow we will do it with the same train system, the same streets, the same buses and so forth. You think your rent is high now. Property taxes? Look up cause that’s where the number will be.
Then, years from now, we will have Congestion Pricing Part 2 except this time it won’t be a trail, it will be perminate and it won’t matter if it will work OR NOT.
[…] the skies were blue, the grass was green and Speaker of the New York State Assembly Sheldon Silver killed congestion pricing. At the time, Sheldon Silver’s role in the demise of Mayor Bloomberg’s ambitious plan […]
With due respects, “Shelly” should be impeached! Thanks to Mr. Silver, Chicago got our $, no vote, no negotiation, nothing. Impeach Shelly now!
[…] Second Ave. Sagas. We talked a lot of transit policy as the MTA dealt with a financial crisis, the death of congestion pricing and fare hikes. While advertising often took center stage, we had our fun too as the MTA neared […]