Streetsblog New York City

Got a Facebook account? The Campaign for New York's Future is asking transit riders to use the image on the right (get it here) as their profile pic, while changing their status to:

“Telling my state senator I oppose the MTA doomsday fare hikes and service cuts at www.KeepNewYorkMoving.org"

In other it-ain't-over-'til-it's-over doomsday news, as state lawmakers continue to get hammered for inaction and pressured to avert fare hikes and service cuts, the Straphangers Campaign will be handing out fliers tomorrow morning in Times Square urging rush hour commuters to contact their reps.

Wednesday was Lobby Day in Albany, and among those descending upon the capitol was a busload of New York City transit riders, organized by the Campaign for New York's Future, who support East and Harlem River bridge tolls as part of the MTA rescue plan. Before the day was out, the group of some 50 straphangers visited the offices of 35 legislators. Streetfilms' Robin Urban Smith was also on board, and files this report.

Here's a final plug for tonight's Jeff Mapes event, also featuring Aaron Naparstek, Clarence Eckerson and Transportation Alternatives, with audience Q&A and book signing. Housing Works Bookstore Cafe at 7:00.

And today is the last day to register for next Wednesday's bus trip to Albany to lobby on behalf of MTA rescue, sponsored by the Campaign for New York's Future (register here). If you've ever been on one of these trips, you know how encouraging it is to find strength in numbers, even in the face of absolute lunacy.

As debate on the MTA rescue plan is reduced to stall tactics and race-baiting, the Campaign for New York's Future is organizing a Lobby Day citizen bus trip to Albany, set for next Wednesday, March 18.

With several State Senators saying they will refuse to pass a funding plan that includes bridge tolls, your voice is crucial to make sure our leaders know that a fair transit funding plan asks everyone who benefits from transit to contribute – including businesses and drivers – not just transit riders.

Most importantly, your presence in Albany puts a human face on the transit crisis by telling the story of one of the many constituents – YOU – who would be impacted by the whopping 23% fare hike and draconian subway and bus cuts.

The RSVP deadline is this Friday. Sign up here.

The Campaign for New York's Future has some handy fact sheets on the transit upgrades outlined in the MTA 2008-2013 Capital Plan, broken down by city and state electoral districts. Since many of these projects will be threatened without the hundreds of millions in annual revenues expected from congestion pricing, some legislators may need to be reminded of what's at stake.

Take Hakeem Jeffries. The Brooklyn assemblyman reportedly has no position on pricing at the moment, but not so long ago he stood with Richard Brodsky in support of the Westchester pricing foe's $6.50 taxi drop charge "alternative."

In addition to system-wide and Brooklyn-specific improvements, here is just some of what residents of Jeffries' district stand to lose without pricing:

• 33 new buses on the B41 line
• Structural overcoating on the B and Q lines between Prospect Park and Sheepshead Bay
• Upgrade of the PA systems in the Bedford-Nostrand, Classon, Clinton-Washington and Fulton Street stations on the G line
• Flooding improvements for the Crosstown Line
• An 8.1% to 22.1% percent reduction in traffic jams

Check your district fact sheets to see what's on the block in your neighborhood. And if you haven't called your reps already, now is the time to pass this information on.

At this hour, City Council members are preparing to hold the first of two hearings scheduled for today on congestion pricing. The morning session, beginning at 10:00, will be open for public viewing but closed to public testimony.

The evening session begins at 6:00. Members of the public who wish to testify may sign up on a first-come first-served basis, beginning at 5:30. Public testimonies are limited to two minutes each.

Needless to say, it is important that the council (and the media) hear from as many pro-pricing citizens as possible. The Campaign for New York's future suggests bringing signs or wearing pro-pricing t-shirts, whether you are able to testify or not. CFNY would like to hear from those who will be attending, if possible; contact Katie Savin at ksavin@mrss.com.

The hearings will take place in the City Council Chambers, City Hall, Second Floor.

David Paterson is going to do right by his old State Senate district after all. New York's new governor settled any doubts about his position on congestion pricing this afternoon, introducing a bill that follows the recommendations of the Traffic Congestion Mitigation Commission. The Daily Politics has the scoop:

"Congestion pricing addresses two urgent concerns of the residents of New York City and its suburbs: The need to reduce congestion on our streets and roads, and thereby reduce pollution, and the need to raise significant revenue for mass transit improvement," Paterson said.

Paterson also said that by introducing the bill, the City Council and the Legislature will be able to "examine the details" and "make an informed judgment" going forward.

It has yet to be determined if the Paterson bill differs at all from the bill that surfaced in Albany earlier this week. However, highlights of the legislation described in the governor's statement match the contents of the earlier bill. The full statement, as well as press releases from Mayor Bloomberg and pro-pricing groups, after the jump.

The congestion pricing deadline is little more than a week (or two) away, and news is coming fast and furious about the last wave of legislative wrangling. Two reports published in the last 16 hours give a sense of how compromises may be hashed out to gain passage for the measure.

First, the Daily Politics spoke to Bronx Assemblyman Michael Benedetto, a pricing supporter who identified three major sticking points among his colleagues:

• Taxis, which contribute considerably to traffic, getting off with just a $1 surcharge.
• No provisions for the elderly or sick people who are traveling into the congestion zone to go to medical appointments.
• The fact that commuters from New Jersey won't be affected because they're already paying $8 in PANY/NJ tolls.

The New Jersey issue, which prompted 20 City Council members to sign a letter of objection, may be on its way to being hashed out, according to a story in the Sun this morning:

Mr. Bloomberg has said he will address the issue and is expected to propose a possible fix soon.

The Sun also reports on the favors Council members are seeking in return for their vote:

"I know what my issues are -- northern Manhattan," Council Member Robert Jackson of Harlem, who said he is undecided about the mayor's plan, said yesterday. Mr. Jackson said his wish list includes more express bus routes and support for building a cross-harbor rail tunnel that would reduce truck traffic in the neighborhood.

He added that he is in talks with the mayor's office on local concerns and is leaning toward voting in favor of congestion pricing.

Want to urge Jackson and the rest of City Council to get behind pricing? There's a public hearing at City Hall on Monday. Details after the jump.

Michael O'Loughlin of the Campaign for New York's Future leads the congestion pricing rally on the capitol steps.

Streetsblog's Brad Aaron files this report from Albany.

A contingent of about 80 New Yorkers is in Albany today to advocate for congestion pricing. Following a brief rally on the capitol steps this morning, led by the Campaign for New York's Future, the crowd broke off into small groups for a day of sit-downs with individual lawmakers.

I shadowed a group assigned to Senator Frank Padavan of Queens, who is against pricing, though he represents a district where just six percent of the population commutes by car to Manhattan's central business district. An amiably cantankerous fellow, Padavan started the meeting with a question: "Did the mayor send you up here?" The senator then went on for a bit about Bloomberg's helicopter and private jet before getting down to business.

"We've gotten tons of info," Padavan said. "We have reviewed it all, and I don't really have any questions."

Padavan said Residential Parking Permits would help his car-owning constituents avoid park-and-ride problems, and allowed that new express buses would be a welcome addition to his district. But he also said that, according to the MTA, there is no way to add subway capacity from 179th Street in Jamaica.

Then, when the senator was presented with specific plans for transit improvements in Queens, things got off track.

Four veterans of the congestion pricing wars went toe-to-toe at the Museum of the City of New York Wednesday night -- the last showdown before the Congestion Mitigation Commission releases its draft proposals today.

Taking the stump for pricing were Kathryn Wylde of the Partnership for NYC and Michael O'Loughlin of the Campaign for New York's Future. Arguing against were Congressman Anthony Weiner of Queens and Walter McCaffrey of the Coalition to Keep NYC Congestion Tax Free. The standing-room-only crowd of more than 120 people -- most of whom came from the Upper East Side and East Harlem, judging by the post-debate Q & A -- appeared to favor Weiner and McCaffrey by a noticeable, though not overwhelming, margin. Wylde and O'Loughlin scored their share of applause, but Weiner was the only speaker to draw vocal cheers.

Claiming that "we are buying a pig in a poke," Weiner made several arguments familiar to Streetsblog readers, adding a few rhetorical flourishes worth noting. Among his main points:

• The current plan is "not fair" because suburban drivers from LI and NJ won't pay any fee in addition to the existing tolls on the Hudson River crossings and the Queens-Midtown Tunnel.
• Commercial truck traffic in Midtown is increasing faster than car traffic, so a priority should be placed on mitigating truck congestion.
• The number of people who switch to mass transit because of congestion pricing will impose costs on the transit system that significantly outweigh the revenue pricing will generate.
• Republicans support congestion pricing because it "bolsters the idea that municipalities should pay for their own transportation enhancements," as opposed to the idea that transit improvements should be paid for from a federal pot of gas tax revenue.

Weiner built up this last point quite dramatically, painting congestion pricing as a wedge issue that has played into the hands of "Texas conservatives" by dividing people who share a concern for the environment. "There's a reason that George Bush likes this plan," he said, insisting that "there are smarter and more progressive ways to do this."

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