Brooklyn, NY – Even though there are a lot of Brooklyn snorts and sniffs about the mayor’s congestion pricing plan, the borough’s political leadership has to be happy that the plan does not include tolling of the East River bridges, three of which connect Brooklyn to Manhattan.
One might ask, “What’s the difference? Most of the people who drive over the bridges are headed to Manhattan. Who cares why the toll?”
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In the money world, it really doesn’t make a difference. But in the political world, it’s a hedge element. Brooklyn drivers are not being singled out. Everyone who wants to get into Manhattan has to pay — even people from Cos Cob, even people in Manhattan who live above 86th Street.
The politicians who really have to scream are those in Queens. If the Daily News is correct, 31,400 Queens motorists drive into Manhattan every workday. Only one community district in Brooklyn — Canarsie, Mill Basin and Flatlands — is in the News’ list of the top 10 such areas from which people commute by car to Manhattan
The other critically important matter that has to be enacted in Downtown Brooklyn is residential permit parking. If nothing is done in this regard, congestion pricing effort will be totally detrimental and disastrous to Brooklyn.
The purpose of residential permits is not to guarantee every resident a parking space: That simply cannot be done. The purpose is to prevent people from elsewhere, including other neighborhoods in Brooklyn, from using Downtown as a dumping ground for their cars. Park here, take the subway into Manhattan and laugh all the way.[brooklyneagle]
will the traffic in williamsburg go over 10 bloocks arond the br from the new plan ?
yes
Hell no. Nobody is dumping their cars in Brooklyn and then hopping the subway into Manhattan.
Over my dead body!!!