Council Approves Congestion Pricing Before Final Version Is Set

The City Council voted to send a “home rule” message to Albany March 31, requesting that the State Legislature approve congestion pricing for New York City.

The system, which is a modified version of one first proposed by Mayor Michael Bloomberg last April, would charge drivers for driving south of 60th Street in Manhattan. Revenues from the fees would in turn be used to fund mass transit improvements, with some of those improvements—from increased express bus service to new subway construction—put in place over the next year.

The plan passed the Council by a vote of 30-20, with Council Member Helen Foster absent. This margin represents an unusually contentious battle in the Council, with negotiations which went into the last hours before the vote occurred. The plan had the support of all 10 Manhattan Council members, the whole Bronx delegation and members from the other three boroughs as well. [ Read full 'Congestion Pricing' here.]