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Congestion Plan Nears Approval

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Jul 19, 2007 12:22 pm US/Eastern

Congestion Plan Nears Approval

Sources: 17-Member Commission Likely To Be Instituted

by Marcia Kramer
NEW YORK (CBS) ― The battle for legislative approval of a congestion pricing plan for New York City is nearly over. Sources tell CBS 2 HD that state lawmakers have signed off on the traffic part of the deal and that they're now haggling over unrelated "pay back" issues.

Just when it seemed as if the lights were turned out on Mayor Michael Bloomberg's controversial congestion pricing plan, which initially called for an $8 fee for motorists entering the busiest areas of Manhattan during rush hour, CBS 2 HD has learned that lawmakers have tentatively given the green light to a plan that will allow the city to qualify for $500 million of federal grants.

Sources say the plan includes:

• Creation of a 17-member commission to review congestion in the city that would consider zones, fees, and other ways to reduce traffic.
• A requirement that the City Council approve the plan before it goes to the Legislature.
• The Legislature would have to vote on the plan by March 31, 2008.
• There will also be legislation authorizing the city to lay the ground work for congestion pricing.

Getting the City Council on board was a key element in winning Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver's support. He also wants the commission to look at the entire problem of congestion.

"We believe that the mayor's congestion pricing proposal is obviously something never been tried here in this country, never been tried in New York," Silver said. "There are a lot of questions. We believe a commission should examine that congestion should be alleviated here in New York."

Final approval of the plan is being tied to a whole host of Albany issues, including campaign financing, property tax credit for seniors, and a long list of capital projects for individual Senate and Assembly districts. The haggling on those things was said to be ongoing Thursday morning.

(© MMVII, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

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