For those who haven’t heard the news, Mayor Bloomberg announced his PLANYC 2030 initiative, which includes a congestion pricing plan that will (unlike any tolling proposals here in Atlanta) help pay for expanded transit service to the outer boroughs. Specifically:

Passenger vehicles entering or leaving Manhattan below 86th Street during the business day (weekdays 6 am to 6pm)—with the exception of the FDR Drive, the West Side Highway, and West Street—would pay an $8 daily fee. Trucks would pay $21. Autos that drive only within “the Zone” would pay half price. The charge would apply to all vehicles, except emergency vehicles, those with handicapped license plates, taxis, and for-hire vehicles (radio cars).

Naturally, there is opposition to the plan. Among the opponents, the Queens Chamber of Commerce released its own biased and flawed report on the idea of congestion pricing. As Streetsblog took note:

The Queens Chamber of Commerce study erects a draconian “straw man” congestion charging scenario that is neither based on London’s system nor on any scenario that has been proposed for New York City.

Meanwhile, in Atlanta, our leaders can’t get past using tolls to pay for more and bigger highways. Sometimes it gets depressing to keep track of Streetsblog and wish Atlanta had NYC’s problems.