Governor Backs Bloomberg’s Congestion Pricing Plan

March 21, 2008

Building on early indications that Governor Paterson plans to further the legislative agenda of his predecessor and nurture a positive relationship with Mayor Bloomberg, the new governor announced today that he is supporting congestion pricing.

Mr. Paterson said that he would support the traffic reduction bill that the mayor has lobbied for at Albany over the past year.

“Today, Governor Paterson has demonstrated true leadership by submitting a congestion pricing bill to the Legislature that will meet all of the objectives we’ve set,” Mr. Bloomberg said in a statement. “The bill is a giant step forward, and its timely passage will ensure that New York gets $354 million in federal money that we’ve been promised.”

Even with the governor’s support, many lawmakers in Albany have already said the plan, which would charge most drivers $8 to enter the area of Manhattan below 60th Street, has little chance of passing.

After Mr. Patterson visited City Hall for the first time as governor on Wednesday, it appeared that he might sway from Governor Spitzer’s path, and refuse to support the mayor’s traffic plan. Following a meeting with Mr. Bloomberg, the governor said he had not made a decision regarding congestion pricing despite listening to an impassioned plea.

On Wednesday, Mr. Patterson also expressed strong reservations about a tax hike, a concern shared by Messrs. Bloomberg and Spitzer. He said the state could produce a balanced budget without resorting to hikes as long as revenues stopped their slide.

While Mr. Paterson didn’t go as far as his predecessor, Mr. Spitzer, who had ruled out a tax increase during his last days in office, the governor spoke more negatively about the idea than he had previously.

In the past, Mr. Paterson has aligned himself with Mr. Bloomberg regarding education and charter schools, even though he has ties to the United Federation of Teachers.

Source: NY Sun

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One Response to “Governor Backs Bloomberg’s Congestion Pricing Plan”

  1. brooklyn and i on March 23rd, 2008 1:15 pm

    CALL THE BABY BY ITS REAL NAME
    TAX TAX TAX
    WIT THE NEW TAX PLAN IT IS A TAX MILLIONS OF DALLARS BUT NOT FOR YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD
    1) THE TAX FROM LOCAL RESIDENT FOR THE PRIVILEGE TO PARK IN THE FRONT OF YOUR HOSE
    2) THE TAX FOR ALL SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS TO PAY A PLUS TAX FOR DOING BUSINESS
    3) TICKETING EVERYBODY WHO WILL PARK VS THE LAW( EVERY CAR WHO IS REGISTER IN NYC HAVE PAID A MINIMUM OF 100 DOLLARS IN PARKING TICKETS EVERY YEAR)
    4) THE FEDERAL BIG MONEY FOR THE CITY -”NOT ANY PAY BACK FOR THE LOCAL RESIDENT WHO WILL SUFFER FROM THE PARK AND RIDE AND ALL OUTER NEW REGULATION’S (CALL IT TAX SCAMS)
    5) ALL NEW GARAGE SYSTEMS BUSINESS WHO WILL COME UP IN NEIGHBORHOODS LIKE WIILIAMSBURG TO PROVIDE THE PARK IN RIDE FOR OUTSIDERS AND THAT TAX WILL NOT GO TO THE LOCAL NEIGHBORHOODS
    TAX TAX TAX
    MILLIONS OF DOLLARS BUT NOT FOR YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD

    AND EVERY BROOKLYN POLITICIAN WHO WILL SUPPORT A NEW TAX WILL PAY THE FULL
    PRICE OF IT !!!

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