Move-NY Video and Streetsblog Coverage

A little more on the Move-NY forum this morning, including the three minute video the organization produced to introduce the fair tolling plan:

I ran into Streetsblog reporter Stephen Miller at the event this morning, and I see his article is up:

After years of meetings and tweaks, the Move NY fair toll campaign launched this morning with a simple message: With AAA and trucking interests at the table beside transit advocates, reforming New York’s broken toll system actually has a shot. It’s a different beast than the congestion pricing plan that Mayor Bloomberg pushed for six years ago, with more obvious benefits for New Yorkers who don’t live in Manhattan.

The coalitions are shaping up differently this time, backers noted during a series of panel discussions this morning. ”Last time around there was a feeling that this was being shoved down people’s throats,” said Move NY campaign director Alex Matthiessen. “We have staunch opponents of previous pricing plans with us.”

“It’s a pleasure working with the other side here for a change, instead of being in our own corners,” said AAA New York’s Jon Corlett. Gene Russianoff, staff attorney for the Straphangers Campaign, compared sitting down with AAA to Nixon visiting China.

Why are these groups willing to work together? The Move NY plan, developed by “Gridlock” Sam Schwartz, has some big carrots for motorists while still reducing congestion and funding transit. The plan would charge everyone driving into Manhattan below 60th Street, while outer-borough crossings with few transit options nearby would see a toll cut. It also asks Manhattanites to pay up by removing the borough’s parking tax rebate and adding a surcharge to taxi trips. The plan would raise almost $1.5 billion annually, with a quarter of it going to road and bridge maintenance. The rest would go to transit in the form of both capital funds and operating assistance.

There were no real carrots in Michael Bloomberg's proposals.  The fair tolling plan significantly (up to 48%) reduces tolls for interborough travellers outside of the Central Business District (CBD) in Manhattan below 60th Street.  And the addition of tolls on the "free" East River Bridges stands to significantly reduce traffic and attendant negative impacts to the local streets in Brooklyn and Queens.  This is a terrific plan.