PlaNYC Legislation Could Fund New York Mass Transit Improvements

"Congressman Crowley has long been one of the most valued members of New York's Congressional delegation because he knows how to deliver for Queens, the Bronx, and the entire city," said Mayor Bloomberg. "He's a real leader who has the vision to see that our pilot congestion pricing plan will produce real benefits for all of New York, including areas of his district that for too long have lacked good public transit options. I'm thrilled that he's come on board."

"Today, I am proud to announce my support for Mayor Bloomberg's plan to eliminate the choking hold of traffic congestion in New York City, and increase access to mass transit for everyone," said Congressman Crowley. "This forward-thinking plan will dramatically reduce pollution, improve bus and rail transit options in all parts of the city and improve the health of New Yorkers. For my constituents in Queens and the Bronx, the Mayor's plan would create more bus and rail stops in our neighborhoods, and enhance the current stops we rely on regularly."

Last December, Mayor Bloomberg challenged New Yorkers to generate ideas for achieving ten key goals for the City's sustainable future. New Yorkers in all five boroughs responded, and the result was PlaNYC, the most sweeping plan to enhance New York's environment in the City's modern history. Focusing on the five key dimensions of the City's environment - land, air, water, energy and transportation - the 127 initiatives of PlaNYC are a plan that could become a model for cities in the 21st century.

The PlaNYC proposals run from the relatively easy to achieve, like the already-underway replacement of thousands of traditional incandescent light bulbs in City buildings with compact fluorescent lights, to proposals that have never before been tried by a major American city, like planting mollusks in polluted waterways to naturally clean them. Together, these initiatives will help meet the challenges faced by New York City as its population continues to grow, with an expected 1 million more people arriving between now and 2030, while at the same time reducing the City's greenhouse gas emissions by 30%.

Included in PlaNYC is a proposed pilot program to charge drivers a fee to enter the central business district in Manhattan. Revenue generated from the fee would be earmarked for transit improvements, such as the new Metro North stations in the Bronx, and East Side Access, which would generate the capacity required for the MTA to operate additional LIRR stations in Queens. It is estimated that more than $30 billion in regional transportation infrastructure improvements would be made possible through congestion pricing revenue.