BY JILL D’AMICO

In spite of the Albany bickering that threatened to put New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s congestion pricing dream on hold, the federal government today, Aug. 14, announced that the City will get $354 million dollars to help implement the plan.

While Transportation Secretary Mary Peters said the money is contingent on the state Legislature approving congestion pricing within 90 days of reconvening, she didn’t stop at heaping praise on the mayor.

“While some may be content to accept growing gridlock as a way of life, Mayor Bloomberg is not going to let traffic rob the Big Apple,” she said. “He has stepped forward with a plan as brass and bold as New York City itself. New Yorkers must understand that we must stop relying on yesterday’s ideas to fight today’s traffic jams.”

As it stands now, the proposal faces several hurdles. A 17-person commission must be formed and approve a plan by March of 2008 that will reduce traffic by 6.3%. To receive the federal money, the plan must be in line with the Mayor’s original proposal, but luckily for him the commission will be made up of appointees chosen by himself and the governor, another fan.

In addition, the proposal must pass the muster of the state Legislature and the City Council to move forward.

Ms. Peters said the city will initially receive $1.6 million and the balance would be made available at the March deadline.

Questions Remain
Questions still nag, such as how much of the money will go to mass transit or the infrastructure to charge drivers, such as a toll system similar to E-ZPass.

The $354 million announced today is also less than the $500 million originally floated as an incentive for pushing the plan through Albany – but still well over the $200 million minimum commitment that the State had set as a precondition.

The mayor’s plan, first unveiled in April as part of his PlaNYC 2030 program, looks to charge drivers $8 and trucks $21 a day to enter or leave Manhattan below 86th Street on weekdays during the workday. Those who drive only within the congestion zone would pay $4 a day for cars and $5.50 for trucks.

New York City was one of 26 communities around the country that submitted proposals in an eight-month process to dole out more than $1 billion in federal traffic-mitigation grants, and the first of five communities chosen. Ms. Peters said she would announce the other recipients later today.

Speaking Out
Reaction to the federal funding has been fast.

Kathryn S. Wylde, the president of the Partnership for New York City and a guest speaker at the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce’s congestion pricing forum, which was held in July, said she was pleased with the news.

“In selecting New York City for the Urban Partners Program, the federal Department of Transportation has allowed us to meet the threshold criteria established by recent state legislation for implementation of a comprehensive program to reduce traffic congestion and improve mass transit in the region,” she said. “Federal funding provides the carrot that will help pay for new buses, faster subways and the other measures required to incentivize people to get out of their cars and on to public transportation. This is a tremendous breakthrough in the struggle to achieve a more efficient, mobile city.”

The Chamber also announced the results of their congestion pricing survey at that forum. While 85% of Members said something needs to be done about traffic congestion in the City, they were nearly split as to how to implement that change.

Chamber survey results