NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s proposed congestion charge to enter Manhattan between 7am and 7pm was thrown out before reaching the first voting stage on Monday. The $8 toll for cars, or $21 for trucks, was proposed as far back as last July, along with other ‘green’ measures under the PlaNYC proposal. Money raised was supposed to go towards improving NYC’s public transit systems, Bloomberg said.
Critics wondered aloud what kind of traffic jams collection of the charge would cause outside of the pay-to-access areas as well as where the revenue would be spent. Furthermore, the tax would financially strap those who could least afford it.
“The congestion bill did not have anywhere near a majority of the Democratic conference, and will not be on the floor of the Assembly,†said a Democratic Assembly spokesperson, as per the New York Times.
London, England uses a congestion charge system, collecting £8 (about $16) from passenger car drivers to enter areas of London between 7am and 6pm. Oslo, Norway, and Singapore also use similar systems.
