City Councilmember Melinda Katz

Katz Steadfast In Congestion Pricing Opposition

 

After hearing testimonies from government officials, comments from colleagues and public concerns at hearings on Monday, March 24, City Councilmember Melinda Katz (D-Forest Hills/Rego Park) continues to oppose the congestion pricing plan proposed by the city Department of Transportation. The plan would impose an $8 fee on passenger vehicles entering Manhattan below 60th Street and a $21 fee on most trucks.

Katz stated, “The city’s proposed congestion pricing plan will adversely impact the boroughs outside of Manhattan by placing unfair financial burdens on the middle class, increasing traffic in other areas and greatly reducing the amount of parking available to area residents.
“In an attempt to reduce traffic in Manhattan, the city intends to further tax hardworking men and women from the outer boroughs. They will be forced to choose to either pay for parking or pay for the privilege of driving into Manhattan. Unfortunately, both choices wrongly take money from the pockets of those individuals who need it most.

“The implementation of congestion pricing will dramatically increase traffic in areas outside of Manhattan’s Central Business District. This added vehicular traffic will be caused by people forced to drive their cars to strategic mass transit locations to travel into Manhattan. Congestion pricing will only exacerbate the current traffic problems in Queens and Brooklyn, which reportedly already create more economic loss compared to that of Manhattan.

“Parking is a serious problem in many neighborhoods throughout our city. Creating alternative parking areas to accommodate the increase in commuters traveling to Manhattan will further reduce parking availability for local residents. In addition, local businesses will suffer because parking once reserved for their customers will now be utilized solely for commuters using mass transit. A congestion plan should not supersede the rights of residents to find convenient parking close to their homes and should not prevent businesses from accommodating their patrons.

“The city should realize that congestion is not just a Manhattan problem and the implementation of any plan that fails to meet the needs of the entire city should be opposed.”
The council and both houses of the state legislature must approve the plan by April 7 to qualify for $354 million in federal funds for extra bus and subway service.