Public hearing on congestion pricing tonight in White Plains
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- October
- 24
A public hearing on Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s controversial plan to charge drivers to enter the heart of Manhattan takes place in White Plains tonight.
The New York City Traffic Congestion Mitigation Commission is holding the hearing. Its 17 members were appointed by Bloomberg, Gov. Eliot Spitzer, the New York City Council, the Assembly and state Senate to study the plan and other ways to reduce traffic congestion in Manhattan.
Under the plan, cars would be charged $8 and trucks $21 to enter Manhattan south of 86th Street between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. on weekdays. Some of the fees could be off-set by tolls paid on bridges and tunnels leading into the city.
Those with E-ZPass accounts will be charged when they enter the zone; vehicles without E-ZPass will have their license plate numbers recorded by cameras and drivers must pay by phone, online or in person at businesses.
The commission will submit its findings to the state Legislature, most likely at the start of the year.
The Legislature must vote on the congestion pricing plan by March 31 in order for New York City to receive $354 million from the federal Department of Transportation to kick-start the plan.
Rockland County Legislative Chairwoman Harriet Cornell and state Assemblywoman Ellen Jaffee, D-Suffern, plan to testify.
Both oppose the plan, contending the toll amounts to a middle-class tax and places an unfair burden on suburban commuters.
The 6 p.m. hearing will be held at the Westchester County Center, 198 Central Ave., 2nd floor meeting rooms G-H, White Plains.
This entry was posted
on Wednesday, October 24th, 2007 at 10:39 am by Khurram Saeed.
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Good piece. I hope this plan is rejected as this is certainly unfair for the middle class people.