Congestion pricing, while approved yesterday by the Council, is still under negotiation, and certain details are still being worked upon. In particular among these, is a resolution to the issue of accommodating volunteer organizations whose members travel to and from
Manhattan. My support of congestion pricing is contingent upon an adequate resolution to this issue.
Additionally, the congestion pricing plan will have no financial impact on drivers who travel to Manhattan at toll crossings using their EZ-Pass. Far greater of an issue to the quality of life of the people of southern Brooklyn and in the neighborhoods that I represent is the issue of a cross-harbor rail tunnel, which would cause unmitigated damage to Boro Park and Midwood, among other neighborhoods across Brooklyn and Queens. Opponents of congestion pricing have prepared alternative plans, of which a cross-harbor tunnel is
invariably the centerpiece. This is no alternative. My vote in support of congestion is also a vote against cross-harbor and further contingent upon the continued opposition to the cross-harbor from the Mayor and Speaker.
Where is the Congestion Pricing Zone (CPZ)?
•The CPZ includes all roads below 60th Street in Manhattan, including FDR and West Side Highway
When will congestion pricing fees be collected?
•Fees will only be collected between 6:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. Monday through Friday.
•No fees will be charged on official city holidays.
•Fees will only be charged once per day upon initial entry to the CPZ.
How much will it cost?
•All passenger vehicles $8
•Bridge and tunnel tolls will go towards the $8 congestion pricing fee, if the driver uses E-Z pass. If a driver’s trip includes tolls that exceed $8 presently (for example the Battery Tunnel), then congestion pricing does not add additional cost to their trip.
What about taxis and livery cars?
•There will be an additional $1 surcharge for destinations beginning or ending in the CPZ.
How will it the fees be collected?
•Drivers are encouraged to use E-Z Pass.
•Drivers who do not use E-Z Pass will have a photograph of their license plate taken and a bill will be sent to the address registered to that license plate. An extra $1 charge will be added to the congestion pricing fee.
What is the alternative to congestion pricing?
•Advocates against congestion pricing all push for the creation of the Cross-Harbor Tunnel, which would bring freight trains into our district and devastate communities from Brooklyn all the way to Queens.
What about volunteer organizations like Chesed and Hatzolah?
•The congestion pricing program is not going into effect tomorrow, and details are still being worked out. Simcha is committed to making sure the volunteer organizations that do such important work in the community are not being forgotten.
•Simcha has an agreement with the administration that one of the conditions of him voting in favor of the congestion pricing program is to ensure that adequate accommodations are made for volunteer organizations.
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11 Responses
“The Big Mitzvah” of not hurting volunteers ‘also’, is a crime to every individual in the public even if you give it a new buzzword name “congestion pricing”.
(For those just beginning to think-Can you justify an additional $1 charge for not using E-Z Pass + calling that an “encourage”ment to use E-Z pass?)
intresting how felder wants to impress bloomberg!!!
#1. Once you vote its over.
#2. Since when is the whole issue volunteers? If a person wants to do some chesed himself he will have to pay? Are we trying to encourage people to take advantage of the fine people rather than doing it themselves??
#3. “the congestion pricing plan will have no financial impact on drivers who travel to Manhattan at toll crossings using their EZ-Pass.”
What nonsense! Thats just if you were playing rich till now and paying toll anyway, as opposed to using the bridges. Besides, that precisly is the problem, New Jersians won’t pay a dime, while Brooklynites will begin paying an additional fee?!?!
#4. The cross Island train he mentioned is long dead, that was killed a year ago, he’s selling us the Brooklyn Bridge…
The alternative is: Reroute the traffic thru Staten Island, by lifting the tolls, Encourage truks and traffic heading to JFK to use the Belt, Etc. Don’t just lock us up in Brooklyn!!
#5. It will kill the BBT since it wont cost more than the Bridge anymore.
#6. Just listen to traffic reports at rush hour, most of the times the traffic on the FDR & West side are from the 100 on up to the GWB that wont change by restricting the lower FDR. It will only cause a disaster on the broken BQE. Let them rather add a few lanes to the FDR & West side and stop the construction bet. 6 am & 6pm.
#7. An extra $1 charge will be added to the congestion pricing fee.
Huh? Did we ever notice such a thing? You get fined for not having an e-z pass? On last check, the prices on every toll booth are posted for regular vehicles, E-Z pass is a discounted price not the other way around.
#8. “taxis and livery cars”, Exactly, the price will be passed on to the consumers! Well thats going to happen to ALL merchendise. Be it UPS, Fed Ex, Plumber, Repair men, etc..
So Simcha, you need to win a city wide race and need the city, Bronx support and you abandoned us. DOnt count on our votes, and dont try to cover up with lousy excuses.
Simcha,
Forget aboout support from the hamon am when it comes to running for public office again. Aint happening. We pay enough taxes and this is a disguised tax. Really this is a global warming tax. In fact, Bloomy mentioned this ages ago when he first proposed this foolishness.
And what happens when i am driving a rental car and dont have ez pass? Besides for paying a dollar extra, the photo of my car will be sent to the rental company! in case you didnt know, when ever a rental company receives a bill for a toll, they charge the renter a $25 ‘processing fee!’. Great way to keep tourists (read economy boosters) away from Manhatten!
CHARLES BARRON VOTED NO!!!! SIMCHA FELDER VOTED YES???? UNFORTUNATELY I GOTTA GO WITH BARRON ON THIS ONE.
Once in place, the $8 fee is subject to be raised at the whim of whoever is in charge just as has been done with other tolls. Our grandchildren may pay $24 or even more just as the Verazzano, the Battery Tunnel & other crossings were $2 each way a generation ago.
Simcha will not be in office long enough to make sure “Chesed” people are protected. Besides I don’t get the point with this Chesed exemption. A Hatzolo millionaire doesn’t have to pay but a hard working middle class guy struggling to pay 8 tuitions should pay????
I can already imagine if this “chesed” loophole goes into affect, every yid will register his car through a chesed organization until they do away with it.
$21 for commercial vehicles will just get passed on to the consumer in goods & services affecting even the people using mass transit!!!
Simcha says if you pay for the BB tunnel you won’t pay further. Well, there goes the tunnel!!! What incentive will there be to use the Bklyn bridge if you have to pay anyway????
Lastly, Bkln residents, the following will be your choices going to Monsey, Monroe, the country, etc.
1- thru the city $8
2- BQE to the triboro $9
3- Verazzano to the turnpike $9
Anyone still think its a good idea???
Simcha, you could forget about my vote in the future!!!!! You should listen to your communities opinion before voting!!!!!
#6 going to Monsey will not cost you more if you take the Bklyn Bridge since if you use the west side or FDR you will not be charged unless you enter the Street of NYC.
to #6: I couldn’t let this go. “Hatzola millionaire”????? I don’t know where you live, but in my area, the hatzola VOLUNTEERS are not millionaires; far from it. They are wonderfully caring, dedicated men who are also “paying 8 tuitions” (give or take a few). Some respect, please! Hatzola men who leave thair JOBS or learning or whatever to take a call should be exempt. Remember, they’re volunteers.
I agree with all posters here, and appreciate the added information.
The question now remains; What are WE going to do about. Its great that we are all so eloquent here, but how do we reach the higher ups to stop this insanity.
baruchHASHEM111: you reach to higher up(singular), you daven to HASHEM!
Dear Rebmoish,
please read the article above before posting your comments.
“Where is the Congestion Pricing Zone (CPZ)?
•The CPZ includes all roads below 60th Street in Manhattan, including FDR and West Side Highway”
Dear smh1
Please allow me to clarify. I don’t mean to indicate that all Hatzolo members are millionaires. I was merely pointing out how rediculous it is for a millionaire to get a break while a struggling parent has to pay. And yes i know of quite a few Hatzolo millionaires and I aint knocking them, on the contrary they deserve quite a lot of credit but they dont need an $8 break that you & I are not entitled to.