Seen as Alternative to Bloomberg’s Plan,
But Markowitz Says ‘Fuhgedaboutit!’
By Dennis Holt
Brooklyn Daily Eagle
DOWNTOWN BROOKLYN — With the clock still very much ticking for the city to reach a set of conclusions about congestion pricing by the end of January, proposals, suggestions, counter arguments, declarations and the like are piling up like snow in Buffalo.
Making something of a comeback against the mayor’s Manhattan-based toll concept is the original congestion-pricing idea — imposing tolls on the four East River bridges.
Proponents make the point that the mechanics of toll collecting are much easier and less expensive if only bridge tolls were used, negating the need for an array of cameras in Manhattan.
(Writing in today’s issue, transportation consultant Carolyn Konheim estimates that net income from bridge tolling would be double that of Manhattan tolling revenues.)
However, Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz, at a recent press conference with Queens Councilman David Weprin and state Sen. Eric Adams, said, “As far as I’m concerned, any proposal to charge motorists to use the East River bridges is dead on arrival. Tolls on the Brooklyn, Manhattan, Williamsburg and Queensboro bridges would be absolutely discriminatory against residents of the boroughs outside Manhattan, especially Brooklyn.”
Brooklyn Community Board 2, Downtown Brooklyn’s board, is preparing a general statement on the congestive pricing issue after a series of meetings on the subject.
The statement is the work of John Dew, transportation committee chair and elected last week as the new Board 2 chair. He replaces Shirley McRae, who was appointed to the City Planning Commission by Borough President Marty Markowitz.
The statement will contain several recommendations. One is that, should the tolling of the East River bridges be adopted, all of the East River and Harlem River crossings should be tolled equally.
In addition, all tolls into Manhattan from anywhere else should be the same, so that no commuter pays more than any other and so that all commuters face the same set of basic financial incentives not to drive.
Residential Permit Parking
Suggested for Downtown B’klyn
Another strong suggestion is that residential permit parking should be implemented in the Downtown Brooklyn communities to prevent a “park and ride” scenario, where residents of more distant areas park their cars Downtown and then take the subway to Manhattan.
A necessary enforcement action was stressed: curb illegal use of government identification cards inside windshields and enforce illegal parking by government cars. (This is especially relevant since Downtown Brooklyn is partly a “government town.”)
Finally, two-way tolls should be restored on the Verrazano Bridge.
Community leaders and elected officials in Downtown Brooklyn, such as district leader JoAnne Simon, have started to make the point that since Downtown Brooklyn is the third largest business district in the city, attention to vehicle congestion there is just as important as in Manhattan.
Transportation consultants for more than a decade have argued that bridge tolling will be the most effective method to reducing vehicular traffic in Downtown Brooklyn.
Konheim notes that in 2004 city consultants determined that the lure of the free bridges is the cause of nearly half the “traffic plaguing Downtown Brooklyn.”
If anything, that has intensified since then.
© Brooklyn Daily Eagle 2007
All materials posted on BrooklynEagle.com are protected by United States copyright law.
Just a reminder, though -- It’s not considered polite to paste the entire story on your blog. Most blogs post a summary or the first paragraph,( 40 words) then post a link to the rest of the story. That helps increase click-throughs for everyone, and minimizes copyright issues.
So please keep posting, but not the entire article. arturc at att.net
Main Office 718 422 7400
