Charging a user-fee for driving would be an effective way to promote other forms of transportation, decrease road congestion, increase air quality in nearby neighborhoods, and raise greatly needed revenue. These are some of the reasons why I voted in favor of a congestion pricing pilot for the Manhattan Central Business District when the plan went before the City Council in the Spring of 2008.

Yes, I support congestion pricing as a method to reduce vehicular congestion. But we must not just stop there. We must reduce transit fare so that the person who feels the high cost of tolls will automatically take public transit. We must have bike lanes so that if it is within a certain distance the driver will be able to bike to work with safe bike lanes and a safe place to park his/her bicycle. Certain countries have a bicycle rental system where its citizens and or tourist can just pay and pick up bicycle and drop off at various points in the city.

Road pricing should be further explored in New York City, and could very well cause drivers in New York City to think twice about bringing their cars into congested areas, especially if the fees generated are earmarked to expand transit options in areas without easy access to subways. In addition to unclogging our streets, road pricing could lead to more people using our public transportation system – which has historically been a cheaper transportation alternative. Fewer cars on the road would mean less traffic and less noise and air pollution, allowing for our neighborhoods to become more pedestrian and business-friendly.

High traffic congestion is a challenge that District 20 residents deal with on a daily basis. I believe that we should have all options on the table as we seek creative solutions to address this ongoing challenge. A road pricing strategy certainly has an effect on drivers’ choices and should be one part of the broader conversation about innovative solutions. I am open to working with traffic and transit advocates to study the high traffic roadways in and adjacent to District 20 such as the Long Island Expressway to better understand which segment of the population makes use of the roadway and what solutions would best lend themselves to our local conditions. Any reduction in traffic congestion will certainly have additional benefits such as reduced vehicle idling, pollution, and energy use.

Selective tolling on the BQE, the LIE, and other roadways--so long as the cost to motorists is not ridiculously high--would certainly encourage people to find other ways to get around town and reduce congestion on those expressways.

Yes. Traffic congestion is an economic, environmental and public health problem. Rates of asthma and other respiratory ailments are on the rise, not just in District 22 but throughout the city - especially in neighborhoods near the Gowanus Expressway and areas with heavy truck traffic such as Maspeth.

Currently, traffic diverts to the free bridges, clogging up traffic in Queens’ neighborhoods. There is a cost involved with maintaining these bridges and connecting roadways which should be borne in part by auto users, just like subway fares already pay for two-thirds of operating costs (the highest cost-recovery ratio in the country).

Unfortunately, too much of Queens is not serviced adequately by public transit. I would promote that tolls be on a sliding scale so they are cheaper for Brooklyn & Queens residents similar to the discount that Staten Island residents receive on the Verrazano Bridge with their EZ Pass.
Tolling all the currently free East River and Harlem Bridges at an amount equivalent to the cost of a single transit ride is estimated to bring in close to $500 million annually. Even with a sliding scale, much-needed revenue could be generated.

While I have opposed raising tolls on bridges, I have always supported "road pricing schemes" that would decrease congestion and pollution. A pricing plan that would increase tolls during rush hour, but decrease tolls on off time (which was missing from any prior plans) would be beneficial to our neighborhood.

Since different parts of the city have limited transporation alternatives, implementing high priced tolls is unfair to certain areas. In order to increase mass transit ridership, I have been fighting to bring SUBWAY PRICED TRAIN SERVICE TO LIRR STATIONS in communities such as Bayside, Little Neck and Douglaston that do not have access to subways. This approach would get folks out of their cars and on to mass transit. It is an approach that will work and won't cause the problems that unfair high tolls will create in communities like ours.

Daniel Dromm does believe that road pricing will alter New Yorkers' travel choices. Dromm is a strong advocate for reducing motor vehicle congestion and expanding mass transit access and funding. Road pricing may be an effective way to reduce traffic but its implementation and design must not alienate or appear to unfairly burden different sections of the City. The major concern is that road pricing, as twice recently proposed, is not politically viable at the moment. Dromm advocates for vastly increasing street parking fees, improving parking management, and initiating a residential parking program. Dromm is a firm believer that neighborhoods surrounding high-traffic roadways will benefit from reduced vehicular congestion.

I believe that congestion is a serious problem in NYC for many reasons, including health (emissions contribute to high asthma rates and other issues) and the environment (it is critical that we reduce our carbon footprint). I look forward to working on this issue in the future, and will advocate for a plan that equitably distributes any burdens equally among the five boroughs.