Earlier today, Mayor Bloomberg announced the Residential Parking Permit Program that will be included in the congestion pricing legislation. Long Island City is one of four neighborhoods mentioned in the City’s RPP proposal. It’s not clear why Astoria isn’t one of the trial neighborhoods, but local community boards will have the opportunity to opt in later on.
The program will work a little bit like alternate side of the street parking. Area residents will get permits for cars registered to addresses in the neighborhood. Some—but not all—spots in the neighborhood will be designated as RPP spaces. Each neighborhood then gets to pick a specific 90 minute period during which the RPP spaces will be off limits to anyone without a permit.
Um, okay. Will the plan really cut down on all day park-and-ride commuters or will it just send them around the block a few more times while they look for a non-restricted spot? It probably will make it harder for anyone who wants to shop, eat or work in the RPP zones to find parking.
Meanwhile, a Washington state scientist who helped popularize the idea of congestion pricing now says that he wishes he could take the idea back.
May 22, 2008 at 3:58 pm
RE: Paul Haase’s recanting of “his congestion pricing idea”: I’m not sure that’s exactly what he’s saying. He opposes the ideas and methods being advocated in the name of traffic control – one of which is congestion pricing. He’s still in favor of traffic congestion control and reducing traffic jams, and supports methods like variable tolls for car pools. At the end of the article, he says, “Don’t get me wrong, I think congestion pricing has an important role…But I don’t want to see congestion pricing as a lever to curtail driving or to get us to pay more for roads we’ve already paid for.”
I also opposed NYC’s congestion pricing plan as it was originally submitted and presented, but traffic control and traffic calming are worthwhile pursuits that can and should be separated from congestion pricing.
BTW, that was a fun article.