Jun 19, 2007 12:22 pm US/Eastern
Congestion Pricing Vote Could Come Soon
Says N.J. Mass Transit Can't Handle Switch From Cars
CBS 2's Magee Hickey contributed to this report.
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
The New York State Senate could vote on Mayor Bloomberg's congestion pricing plan as early as Tuesday. City Council Speaker Christine Quinn spoke out in favor of the plan on Monday, but New Jersey's governor is not sold on the idea just yet.
Bloomberg has done a lot of high pressure lobbying on his controversial congestion-pricing plan. But one person he apparently left out is Corzine, who dropped a bombshell: His state may not be able to handle the plan from its end.
"There are a lot of question that need to be answered so I reserve judgment," Corzine said.
Bloomberg wants to reduce the number of New Jersey residents driving into New York City and clogging the streets, and now he hass grassroots support.
Dozens of members of the Straphangers' campaign handed out leaflets in the subways, urging riders to support congestion pricing.
"If it helps ease congestion, it'll be a good thing to do," one member said.
"There's alot of pollution in New York, we need to clean up New York," said another member.
The Straphanger's campaign is urging subway riders to e-mail or call state lawmakers to urge passage, but according to the campaign's spokesman, Gene Russianoff, the proposal doesn't look likely to succeed.
"Congestion pricing has always been a heavy lift. it doesn't look so great for the end of this session, but we're going to keep pushing away like we're doing here. it's looks better for the middle of July when they're coming back to Albany," Russianoff said.
Another challenge for Bloomberg comes from Gov. Corzine, who stunned everyone by saying New Jersey's mass transit system can't handle the switch from cars to mass transit.
"We don't have the capacity to handle dramatic surges in additional riders on our mass transit system, which is what congestion pricing is going to encourage," Corzine said.
This news came as Bloomberg picked up a new and powerful backer.
"I stand here today strongly in support of congestion pricing," City Council Speaker Christine Quinn said.
Make no mistake; getting Quinn to support congestion pricing is a feather in the mayor's cap.
"It is a tough choice," Quinn said.
But Quinn, who wants to succeed Bloomberg as mayor, said she wants changes to the plan to charge drivers $8 to enter Manhattan south of 86th Street.
She wants:
* Carpoolers to pay less.
* Regional transit passes so you don't pay twice if you take the train and then a bus or subway.
* Special rates for small business owners.
"We have to move forward with congestion pricing carefully," Quinn said.
Quinn isn't the only one who wants changes to the plan. Members of the state legislature, who have to approve it, have dozens of concerns. One is privacy -- the Big Brother is watching you issue. After all, there will be more than 1,000 cameras snapping pictures of where drivers are ... and when.
A source close to the negotiations told CBS 2 HD that the city might agree to destroy records once the fee is paid.
Meanwhile, the city has made its first concessions to lawmakers. It now says the legislature -- not the mayor -- will decide whether the three-year pilot program should continue.
And instead of the city determining where the money will be spent, the governor, the mayor, the assembly speaker and the Senate majority leader will each have a say.
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