Congestion Pricing Could Make a New York Debut This Spring

Already a reality in some parts of the world, it looks as if “congestion pricing” is ready to make its U.S. debut, by way of New York City.

The plan to charge drivers a fee to enter Manhattan as a means of controlling traffic and denting pollution is one that has been on the radar in NYC for quite some time. But recently, Assembly speaker Sheldon Silver, longtime opponent of Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s congestion plan, has gotten on board with the developing ideas for a congestion charge.

(Click through the jump to read more about the potential NYC congestion charge.)

What form the congestion pricing will take is still an open question though. Bloomberg’s original plan of charging $8 per car for all cars entering the city below 86th street has come into criticism because it would actually give a free pass to drivers who come into Manhattan via the Triborough Bridge, the Midtown Tunnel, or Battery Tunnel. Those drivers, having already paid an $8 toll, would be eligible for an $8 rebate on the price of the congestion charge. That kind of haphazard billing and repayment by the city would clearly be a less than ideal solution.

The final product of the congestion debates is likely to be one that puts a bigger burden on New Jersey commuters, while adding some fee to those who currently enter Manhattan for free. Look for more details to emerge as the City Council and state Legislature move closer to the final approval deadline of March 31.

In any event, there will be some kind of plan in place by that deadline, even if it’s “three blocks with some cameras around them” as one observer of the situation quipped.

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