Readers weigh in on congestion pricing plan

To the editor:

Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz's point-of-view piece in the Sept. 6 issue is written from an emotional point of view. If we don't face the traffic problem New York has, we will never solve it. The British have instituted congestion pricing for central London, and it's working there - with the result of less traffic and air pollution.

Mr. Dinowitz says it would take him one-half hour to get to City Hall by car from his Riverdale home. At what time of the day might that be - midnight, perhaps? Even then, he would need to find parking. Manhattan simply cannot accommodate the vehicles that drive through and park there every day. Congestion pricing will force some of those vehicle owners to decide just how important this privilege is to them, and whether mass transit presents a more cost-effective method of commuting.

New York City's mass transit needs improvement, for sure. The federal funds available will help us rebuild and add to mass transit for New York City. I encourage my fellow New Yorkers to express their opinions on this important issue!

Paul Birnbaum

To the editor:

Assembly Jeffrey Dinowitz's argument against congestion pricing is specious for one very important reason - the best improvement that can be made for transit in the West Bronx is to get some of these cars off the road. ("What's wrong with congestion pricing," Op-ed page, Sept. 6)

As someone who has lived in Riverdale and commuted to Manhattan via bus for much of my adult life, there is already adequate express bus service along the BxM 1 and 2 lines.

However, commuting to Midtown on these lines routinely takes upwards of an hour and 15 minutes because of the traffic on the way. Even before any "improvements" can be made to Riverdale transit service, just having less traffic will shorten commuting times significantly.

However, Mr. Dinowitz does get one thing right - most Bronxites don't pay a toll into Manhattan - most Bronxites do not drive to work! In fact, only 5.2 percent of Mr. Dinowitz's constituents drive to work in what would be the congestion pricing zone.

As for the "unfair, unacceptable" form of "discrimination" (preach on, Dr. King!) versus New Jersey commuters, I believe he is entirely making this up. The congestion pricing plan will force New Jersey drivers to pay the same $8 fee as everyone else - the toll over the George Washington Bridge will just be included in this.

Mr. Dinowitz is unfortunately one of those assemblymembers who I feel is just a Democrat because it's easy to get elected that way in his district. I see in this man no commitment to progressive ideals, or even the slightest willingness to think of the greater good over parochial NIMBYist interests.

I hope there is a good Democrat in our district to run against him in the primary.

RICH BOATTI

To the editor:

Re: "What's wrong with congestion pricing" by Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz, Point of view, Sept. 6.

With all due respect to Mr. Dinowitz, there is a reason why the Bronx's leading elected officials have come to support congestion pricing: it benefits virtually every Bronx resident. With the exception of the wealthiest Bronxites who insist on driving into the

Manhattan Central Business District (CBD) on weekdays from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. and can afford to do so, no Bronx residents will pay congestion pricing fees. At the same time, the overwhelming majority of Bronx residents who rely on mass transit will see those fees pay for significant improvements to subway service and bus rapid transit. And, of course, one cannot forget to mention how congestion pricing's reductions in traffic will help reduce the Bronx's out-of-control asthma rates.

Mr. Dinowitz should know that statistics don't lie. Of Riverdale's 63,212 workers, only 3,269 of them drive to work in Manhattan's CBD and would pay congestion pricing fees (a number that would be reduced even further when some decide to switch to mass transit). Accordingly, less than 5.2 percent of all Riverdale workers will pay congestion pricing fees, while all Riverdale residents will benefit from the improved public transportation options, cleaner air, less traffic and better environment congestion pricing will produce. If he is to represent the best interests of the overwhelming number of his constituents, Mr. Dinowitz should join Bronx Borough President Adolfo Carrión Jr., Assemblyman Jose Rivera and many other Bronx elected officials by publicly supporting congestion pricing.

Paul Steely White
Executive director,
Transportation Alternatives

To the editor:

I applaud Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz's courage to come out and speak for those who will be most affected by Mayor Bloomberg's congestion pricing plan, as it stands now.

We all need to take a careful look at the plan and why there is a sudden rush to have it approved so quickly. Why, again, do we see that what we the public have to say does not seem to matter to many of our elected officials? Why is the Bronx always getting the worst piece of the pie? Can anyone answer that question please? Why?

Haile Rivera

This is part of the September 20, 2007 online edition of The Riverdale Press.

Have an opinion on this matter? We'd like to hear from you. Click here.