[As noted in a recent article by Mike Kodransky, "a study conducted by the Partnership for New York City, an organization that represents the interests of the business community in the city, found that congestion actually causes the greater New York area to lose more than $13 billion and thousands of jobs annually." Yesterday's decision by the NY City Council was politically hard-fought and still has hurdles to clear, but paves the way to a less auto-dominated Manhattan.
More on congestion pricing plans in NY: 30 Firms Submit Proposals for NYC’s Congestion Pricing System.
Congestion pricing is already in place in some cities, notably London and Milan.
This is an EXCERPT: read the whole article here. -Ed.]

By Diane Cardwell

"The controversial proposal to charge drivers in the busiest parts of Manhattan took a major step forward on Monday... [when] council members approved the plan to charge most drivers $8 to enter a zone below 60th Street by a vote of 30 to 20, with no abstentions and one absence."

"But the ultimate fate of the proposal now resides in Albany, where the intentions of lawmakers whose approval is needed remained unclear. Gov. David A. Paterson and the Senate majority leader, Joseph L. Bruno, have expressed their support."

"Technically, the Council approved a measure known as a home rule message, which is a request for the State Legislature to pass the plan as outlined in a bill introduced into the Senate. The Legislature has until April 7 to approve the program or risk losing roughly $350 million in federal money to help offset the costs of starting the plan. Mr. Bloomberg has said that much of that money would go toward increasing bus service in underserved areas."

Photo credit: Marc Louwes