Stop NYC Congestion Tax

Here’s the latest on the Congestion Tax front:

According to City Council Member Lew Fidler’s office, who is the City Council’s most outspoken opponent to the congestion tax, the City Council is waiting for the State to draft the congestion tax legislation. Speaker Christine Quinn’s office has confirmed the information. Once the bill is prepared, it’s supposed to be sent to the City Council, and referred to the State & Federal Legislation Committee. There, the Committee will decide whether to recommend that the Council send a home rule message permitting the State to authorize a congestion tax in New York City.

If the Council sends this home rule message to Albany, the fate of the congestion tax and the future of New York City will be in the hands of the State Legislature to decide.

No word yet as to when the City Council will receive the legislation from the State.

The Independent Budget Office (IBO) released a report in December 2007 titled, Behind the Wheel: Who Drives Into The Proposed “Congestion Zone?”.

The report analyzed certain demographic characteristics about those who drove into Manhattan for work as opposed to taking mass transit. In general, it found that the median income of the average commuter to Manhattan who drives [Read more →]

The New York City Office of Long-Term Planning and Sustainability released a report, Inventory of New York City Greenhouse Gas Emissions, in April of 2007, which catalogs the various ways New Yorkers produce greenhouse gases.

On page 24, the City finds that CO2 emissions from on-road vehicles have actually decreased in the past 10 years by 6%, [Read more →]

On Thursday, January 31, the New York City Traffic Congestion Mitigation Commission voted 13-2 to recommend a modified congestion tax scheme to the City and State for adoption.

Highlights of this tax plan include:

• the $8 a day tax for cars/$21 a day for trucks driving south of 60th Street
• a charge for travel on both local streets and passing through on peripheral routes like the FDR Drive and the West Side Highway
• Taxi/car service surcharges
• Removal of the resident parking tax exemption for lots within the Tax Zone
• And more which you can read about here.

Funds would not go to a new SMART Financing Authority to be allocated for specific mass transit projects, as the Mayor originally proposed, but would be directed straight to the MTA’s Capital Plan and the City’s Department of Transportation. In essence, this means that this enormous tax hike will pour funds into the same agencies that provide transportation services now–for better, or probably worse.

It now must be considered by the City Council and the State Legislature before March 31 if congestion taxes are to be imposed.

Jonathan Judge, President & Founder of StopNYCCongestionTax.org, is speaking as part of a panel discussion on the pros and cons of congestion taxation at the Metropolitan Republican Club:

Thursday, November 29, 2007
7 PM
Metropolitan Republican Club in Manhattan’s Upper East Side
122 East 83rd Street (bet. Lexington and Park Avenues)

He will be speaking alongside Hope Cohen, Deputy Director of the Center for Rethinking Development at the Manhattan Institute, and Marcia Bystryn, Executive Director of the New York League of Conservation Voters. Following their presentations, there will be a Q&A session among the panelists and then for the audience.

For those of you who work or reside in Manhattan, if you have any experiences or information that you think would be especially useful in making this case successfully to Upper East Siders and other Manhattan residents, e-mail us at contact@StopNYCCongestionTax.org.

The event is FREE and OPEN TO THE PUBLIC, but if you or any of your friends are interested in attending, please RSVP to contact@StopNYCCongestionTax.org as soon as possible.

For more information on the Metropolitan Republican Club’s event, visit http://www.metclubnyc.org/calendar.htm. Hope to see you there!

Here is the timeline for the New York City Traffic Congestion Mitigation Commission up to January 31, 2008

The New York City Traffic Congestion Mitigation Commission (which, as of August 21, consisted of mostly pro-congestion tax members) will be holding public hearings throughout the City of New York and in Long Island and Westchester to receive testimony from residents and commuters about the proposed congestion tax.

Such testimony will be factored into their final January 2008 proposal to the City and State that must be voted on and approved by March 2008.

This is a great opportunity to let them know why you oppose a congestion tax. And if you don’t want to testify, it would be a similarly great opportunity to see how the commissioners respond to anti-congestion tax sentiment.

If you wish to testify, you must complete a reply form and return it to the commission. The notice of the public hearings is as follows:

NEW YORK CITY TRAFFIC CONGESTION MITIGATION COMMISSION
NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

SUBJECT: Traffic Congestion and Mitigation in the City of New York

PURPOSE: To take testimony, and to obtain and review information and proposals regarding traffic congestion and the mitigation thereof in New York City.

Hostos Community College - Main Theatre “C” Building
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
6:00 PM
Corner of 149th & Grand Concourse
Bronx, NY

New York City Tech Klitgord Auditorium
Thursday, November 1, 2007
6:00 PM
285 Jay Street
Brooklyn, NY

College of Staten Island - Williamson Theater Center for The Arts
Monday, November 5, 2007
6:00 PM
2800 Victory Boulevard
Staten Island, NY

Westchester County Center
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
6:00 PM
198 Central Avenue, 2nd Floor Meeting Rooms G-H
White Plains, NY

Hofstra University
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
6:00 PM
Main Room in David S. Mack University Club
(North of Hofstra’s main gate)
Hempstead, NY

Hunter College - Kaye Theater
Thursday, October 25, 2007
6:00 PM
East 68th Street Between Park & Lexington Avenue
NY, NY

York College Performing Arts Center
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
6:00 PM
94-20 Guy R Brewer Blvd Between Liberty & Archer
Jamaica, NY

Chapter 384 of the Laws of 2007 established the New York City Traffic Congestion Mitigation Commission, a 17-member body directed to undertake a review and study of plans to reduce traffic congestion and other related health and safety issues within the City of New York.

As part of its statutory mandate, and to provide the opportunity for maximum public involvement, participation and comment, the Commission is conducting this series of public hearings to be held in each borough of the City of New York, on Long Island, and in Westchester County.

Persons wishing to present pertinent testimony to the Commission at any of the above public hearings should complete and return the enclosed reply form as soon as possible. It is important that the reply form be fully completed and returned so that persons may be notified in the event of emergency postponement or cancellation.

Oral testimony will be limited to five (5) minutes’ duration. In preparing the order of witnesses, the Commission will attempt to accommodate individual requests to speak at particular times in view of special circumstances. These requests should be made on the attached reply form or communicated to the Commission as early as possible. In the absence of a special circumstance, witnesses will be scheduled in the order in which reply forms are postmarked.

Twenty copies of any prepared testimony should be submitted at the hearing registration desk. The Commission would appreciate advance receipt of prepared statements.

In order to further publicize these hearings, please inform interested parties and organizations of the Commission’s interest in hearing testimony from all sources.

In order to meet the needs of those who may have a disability, the Commission, in accordance with the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), will provide accommodations for individuals with disabilities, upon reasonable request, to afford such individuals access and admission to this public hearing.

The 17 member New York City Traffic Congestion Mitigation Commission has been appointed by Governor Spitzer. This is the list, announced in a Mayoral press release, and it seems (not surprisingly) that the membership indicates a predetermined tilt in favor of a congestion tax. Want to keep that from happening? You must act now!

The U.S. Department of Transportation has awarded New York City $354 million to initiate congestion pricing, including purchasing and installing equipment to impose the tax on drivers.

However, in order to access most of these funds, the State legislature must authorize the Mayor of New York City to tax drivers under this scheme by March 2008.

People, it’s going to happen, especially now that hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars are in place for this massive government tax investment, unless we speak out and tell our elected officials NO to a congestion tax!

The Gotham Gazette, as reported by the Daily Politics, has released a report that details where New York City Council Members stand on the congestion tax issue.

Ultimately, before the Mayor can begin charging a congestion tax, the City Council must approve it first, and then it still need approval from the State Assembly, State Senate, and Governor.

Here’s the list from the Gotham Gazette for your information. If your Council Member is for the tax, or undecided, write your Council Member today and express your opposition!