Now that summer is officially over, NYLCV is all too ready to return to one of the centerpieces of our New York City agenda [0]: congestion pricing and PlaNYC [1]. Elizabeth Yeampierre is a member of NYLCV's New York City Chapter Board

In August, state Legislators, Gov. Eliot Spitzer, Mayor Michael Bloomberg and City Council Speaker Christine Quinn announced [2] their appointees to a panel that will craft an implementation plan for congestion pricing in Manhattan. Two close colleagues of NYLCV are on the 17-member commission: Andy Darrell, a board member of the NYLCV Education Fund, and Elizabeth Yeampierre, a member of NYLCV’s New York City Chapter Board, were appointed by Assembly Minority Leader James Tedisco and Mayor Bloomberg, respectively.

“Transportation pollution is the fastest-growing source of greenhouse gases in New York, and it significantly increases the risk of asthma attacks, heart disease and impaired childhood lung development throughout the city," said Darrell, who is also regional director of Environmental Defense [3]. "PlaNYC sets the ambitious goal of delivering the cleanest air of any big city in America -- by tackling traffic now, this commission has the opportunity to take a big step toward that goal."

Andy Darrell is a board member of the NYLCV Education Fund. The congestion-pricing plan got a big boost on Aug. 14, when Transportation Secretary Mary Peters announced [4] it had won federal support in the amount of $355 million. The money will go toward implementation technology, bus facilities, bus rapid transit, ferry service and research. Marcia Bystryn, NYLCV’s executive director, hailed the announcement as “great news for anyone who breathes in New York City and the metro area."

Yeampierre is also executive director at UPROSE [5], the oldest Latino community-based organization in Brooklyn.

Now, the work of the Traffic Congestion Mitigation Commission begins in earnest. In the coming weeks, members will review the congestion-pricing plan drafted by the mayor, hold hearings and review information. The commission will examine alternative proposals, but its final implementation plan must meet the same traffic mitigation goals as the original one.

By Jan. 31, 2008, the commission must submit its plan to the governor, state Legislature, the mayor and the City Council. The Legislature must vote on the plan by March 31, 2008, following approval by Mayor Bloomberg and Council members. The city has already issued a request for expressions of interest [6] for companies to develop and implement the actual technology and systems required.

In the meantime, the Campaign for New York’s Future [7], an umbrella group of more than 130 groups advocating for congestion pricing, is gearing up for discussions with legislators and outreach efforts to the general public.

As Michael O’Loughlin, director of the campaign, puts it: “We are confident that support will grow over the coming months as the commission goes about its work, details of the full proposal emerge and questions are answered. We are similarly confident, based on the experience in London and other cities, that support will be strongest once the program is in place and New Yorkers get to see for themselves the enormous benefits of reduced traffic, better mass transit and cleaner air."