Jammed cities eye 'pay to drive'

New York and other major US cities are considering fees for those driving during rush hour.

from the June 14, 2007 edition

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"The toll is dynamic. It has the ability to change every six minutes depending on the conditions," says Garry Bonelli, a spokesman for the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG), which develops long-term transportation plans for the region.

Now, SANDAG, at a cost of $1.7 billion, is expanding the toll road from two to four lanes. And it will be 24 miles long, up from eight.

Two years ago, San Francisco discussed adding a fee to enter the city, but it quickly ran into political opposition. City agencies are still discussing the issue, says Howard Strassner of the San Francisco Sierra Club in an e-mail. But the city, he says, may have something better than congestion pricing: a 20 percent tax on top of very high parking fees.

New York's proposal may run into stiff political winds as well. The state legislature must approve any new taxes or fees, and Sheldon Silver, speaker of the House, has been ambivalent about the concept. However, he has said he might call a special session of the Assembly this summer.

"My sense is the speaker will tend to his members," says Kathryn Wylde, president of the Partnership for New York City, which is largely made up of large businesses. "And if his members' concerns are fairly addressed, he will support it."

Some of those concerns were on display last week at a rally of an ad hoc group called the Committee to Keep NYC Congestion Tax Free. State Sen. Carl Kruger of Brooklyn complained the tax was unfair, "basically putting a tax on those who can't afford it." He called for more spending to alleviate traffic in the outer boroughs.

Queens Village resident Gabriella Krill thought the proposed tax would be unfair on seniors who already pay heavy taxes to live in the city. "Subways are hard – to go up and down stairs. Buses are hard to get out of," she said.

However, Ms. Wylde says the issue is too important to be sidetracked. Her office has put together briefing papers that show billions of dollars of lost business and thousands of lost jobs if nothing is done.

"If we don't do this now, it will never happen," she says. "And then New York will lose its leadership position."

Alison Snyder contributed to this report in New York.

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