The state panel examining congestion pricing for New York City approved its recommended plan on Thursday evening.

The New York City Traffic Congestion Mitigation Commission's new plan differs from earlier versions in several respects, including moving the northern perimeter from 86th Street to 60th Street. In addition, hybrid trucks were awarded with an extra incentive: rather than the $21 fee, low-emission trucks would pay just $7.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg, whose administration proposed congestion pricing as part of PlaNYC, said that while the final plan differs from his initial draft, he accepted the commission's recommendation. "New York cannot afford to walk away from hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funds and a guaranteed revenue stream for the MTA's capital plan - which is necessary if we're going to continue to grow and thrive - and we can't afford to do nothing about traffic choking congestion, which is costing our City billions and polluting our air," he added.

Marcia Bystryn, NYLCV's executive director, commended the commission for its hard work and said the organization is looking forward to the next stage. "After 14 public hearings, countless hours of feedback and a detailed study by some of the brightest transportation minds anywhere, New York City now has an even better roadmap to improve our mass transit system, ease congestion and clean our air,” she added. “We look forward to working with the City Council and the state Legislature to deliver the comprehensive transportation solutions that New Yorkers have been asking for.”

The proposal now moves to the New York City Council and the state Legislature. If the Big Apple is to receive $355 million in federal funds from the federal government, a congestion pricing plan must be approved by March 31.

The revised plan already has the endorsement of the New York Times, which noted that residents of London and Stockholm were initially opposed to congestion pricing in their cities. "We expect New Yorkers will be just as enthusiastic if the plan is done right and begins by improving mass transit," the editorial states.