By Shane Miller

When it comes to congestion pricing, the borough of Queens has become a focal point of debate, with a number of elected officials and civic groups vigorously and vocally opposing this aspect of the mayor's PlanNYC 2030 proposal. On Monday, a coalition of groups in favor of congestion pricing held a press conference at borough hall to highlight the benefits to Queens residents if the plan moves forward, attempting to sway the prevailing negative public opinion.

Kate Slevin, executive director of the Tri-State Transportation Campaign (TSTC), which is one of 148 groups that make up the Campaign for the Future of New York, said Queens would immediately see transit improvements if congestion pricing is implemented, thanks in large part to $354 million dollars in federal money that will go to the city - money she says would be lost if congestion pricing fails.

Those proposed improvements include increased service on the E and F lines, three new express bus routes, including one from College Point to Manhattan, and a new Bus Rapid Transit Route. Additional buses would also be added to existing routes in the borough, Slevin said.

"These are very real and tangible improvements, but we need the money for them," she added.
A group called Keep NYC Congestion Tax Free, however, disputes Slevin's claim that the federal money is directly tied to congestion pricing, and counters that the money is merely a funding request and still needs to be appropriated by Congress. The group also claims in a report issued earlier this year that the infrastructure associated with congestion pricing - such as sensors to track license plates - will cost much more than the Bloomberg administration estimates.

Likewise, a report in The Daily News on Monday stated that a few minor tweaks in the city's estimated annual operating costs could more than double the yearly expense of congestion pricing, leaving no additional money for mass transit.

"If we don't do congestion pricing," argued Slevin, "we are not going to raise any money at all. It may be expensive, but we need the resources."

Critics of congestion pricing have also labeled the idea a regressive tax, saying that it would have more of an impact on poorer New Yorkers who drive to Manhattan, as opposed to wealthier workers commuting by car to the central business district who can afford the extra $8 per day.

However, a separate report released by TSTC and the Pratt Center for Community Development showed that it was in fact wealthier Queens residents who drove into Manhattan each day, while those making less tended to use mass transit.

"People who have money make choices poor people don't," said Slevin.
Critics of congestion pricing also argue that it will force driving commuters into neighborhoods with mass transit options closer to the city, causing parking problems and gridlock. Eddie Burgess of Environmental Defense discounted those arguments, and said that congestion pricing would actually take more cars off the road in the borough, improving air quality. "People think that congestion pricing is just going to benefit Manhattan residents, but it is going to be good for Queens, too," he said.

Should Burgess' assessment be inaccurate, however, both he and Slevin said that there are ways to address those problems should they arise, but the city won't know about them if congestion pricing isn't given a shot.
"And besides," added Slevin, "it's just a three-year pilot program."

The New York City Traffic Congestion Mitigation Committee, a 17-member body reviewing congestion pricing and other traffic-related mitigation options, began holding public hearings in New York City on Wednesday. There will be a hearing in Queens on Tuesday, October 30, at the York College Performing Arts Center.
The press conference was held on the six-month anniversary of the unveiling of PlaNYC, a 127-point initiative to make New York a greener city. After announcing Monday that energy-saving measures would be implemented on city-owned buildings, Bloomberg noted that work had begun on 80 percent of the 127 programs.

PlaNYC predicts that New York City will grow by one million people by the year 2030, a growth that Dan Hendrick of the New York League of Conservation Voters said is already underway in Queens.
"Anyone who knows Queens knows it is growing really fast right now," said Hendrick. "Multi-family developments are quickly replacing our one-family homes from Forest Hills to Howard Beach, and it seems like a new high rise goes up everyday in Long Island City or Astoria."