Thompson's Congestion Caveat

Comptroller Bill Thompson has endorsed Mayor Mike Bloomberg's PlaNYC green city plan, but did state that he has some issues with the congestion charge portion of the plan, charging that it needs work.

“The biggest challenges facing the congestion pricing plan at its inception are: how to ensure service for those who are unserved or underserved by mass transit; and, how to handle the anticipated increase in mass transit ridership during the start-up years before investments in rebuilt subway stations, more subway trains, and the initial segments of new subway lines are placed into service,” Thompson said.

The comptroller further called from improved transit options in the outer boroughs before the plan is implemented.

“I support the concept of congestion pricing,” Thompson said, “but I believe that the congestion plan as proposed would be made more equitable and workable by the following four modifications.”

Those modifications are a different price for City and non-City residents, accelerate spending on transit projects,  guarantee that the benefits from the program go towards transit improvements and not to fund  the MTA's general budget and offer pricing flexibility for different times of the day. Other than that, everything's great.

“Our transportation network - roads, bridges, subway lines, highways, commuter rail lines and freight delivery systems – can barely meet the current demands, much less those of an anticipated nine million New Yorkers and increasing numbers of suburban commuters and visitors,” Thompson said. “From protecting our water supply system and reinforcing our electric power delivery system, to better maintaining and expanding our transportation network, I believe this represents an imaginative and, more importantly, a largely practical blueprint."