BY JILL D’AMICO

The 17-person New York City Traffic Mitigation Congestion Commission was announced today, Aug. 21, and will now take up the challenge of creating a plan that will reduce traffic by at least 6.3%.

The panel was chosen by Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Governor Eliot Spitzer, Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno, Senate Minority Leader Malcolm Smith, Assembly Minority Leader James Tedisco, and City Council Speaker Christine Quinn.

“Today we are continuing to move forward and work with our partners in State government and in the Council to relieve congestion in New York City,” said Mayor Bloomberg, who first proposed congestion pricing as part of his PlaNYC initiative in April. “Together, we’ll reduce traffic, improve New Yorkers’ health and strengthen the City’s economy.”

The panel will study the Mayor’s congestion pricing plan as well as other options before presenting a recommendation to state and city lawmakers by Jan. 31.

Mayor Bloomberg’s congestion pricing plan would mean an $8 charge on drivers entering Manhattan below 86th Street, and $21 for trucks during the workday.

Last week it was announced the federal government will give the City $354.5 million dollars towards reducing congestion with the caveat that it must implement a system that uses a pricing plan as a tool to reduce traffic. The federal money will not cover that element, however, but instead will go to constructing bus depots, expanding ferry service, and improving mass transit in general. The City will have to raise the $223 million it estimates will cost to install the computerized system that will monitor and charge drivers.

Congestion Commission
Even in the face of fierce debate, some form of congestion pricing is likely to be proposed judging from the appointments, which include a majority of pricing plan proponents.

The panel will consist of Richard Bivone, president of the Nassau Council of Chambers of Commerce; Assemblyman Richard L. Brodsky of Westchester; Assemblywoman Vivian E. Cook of Queens; Andy Darrell, director, Living Cities program at Environmental Defense; Thomas F. Egan, chairman, State University of New York Board of Trustees; Assemblyman Herman “Denny” Farrell, Jr., who represents West Harlem, Washington Heights and Inwood; Gary LaBarbera president, New York City Central Labor Council, Edwin C. Reed, CFO of the Greater Allen Cathedral of New York; Gerard Romski, counsel and project executive for Arverne by the Sea, a mixed-use development in Queens; Gene Russianoff, a staff attorney for NYPIRG's Straphangers Campaign; City Department of Transportation Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan; Elliot “Lee” Sander, executive director and CEO of the MTA; Andrea Batista Schlesinger, executive director of the Major Institute; Marc V. Shaw, executive vice president for strategic planning at Extell Development Company and named as the head of the commission; Anthony Ernest Shorris, executive director of the Port Authority; Kathryn S. Wylde, president and CEO of the Partnership for New York City; and Elizabeth C. Yeampierre, a Puerto Rican civil rights attorney.

Ms. Wylde was a guest speaker at the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce’s congestion pricing forum, held in July. She argued that congestion costs more to businesses in the long run than any daily pricing plan would impose.

Ms. Yeampierre is the executive director of UPROSE, Brooklyn’s oldest Latino community based organization, located in Sunset Park. She is also active in environmental issues throughout the borough, and served on the advisory committee that helped to create PlaNYC.

Previously the most outspoken critic of congestion pricing on the panel, Assemblyman Brodsky took a milder view in explaining to the New York Times that “This is no longer about my private views or the private views and public commitments of anybody … If you’re going to be on the commission, you’ve got to be willing to keep your mind and your ears open on both sides of the equation.”

What’s Next?
State law now requires the commission to hold public hearings before issuing its recommendation, which will also have to pass muster with the City Council. State legislature will then have until Mar. 31 to consider the commission’s recommendations.

“The Commission has a vital task to ensure the ability of New York City’s continued growth, and do so in an environmentally responsible manner,” said Governor Spitzer.

“We are confident that the Commission will carefully consider the different proposals and find a responsible and impartial solution to reduce traffic congestion in our City,” acquiesced City Council Speaker Christine C. Quinn.