Officials Voice Reservations On Traffic Plan

Elected officials in districts that would be affected by Mayor Bloomberg's congestion pricing plan say that while they support the policy in principle, they have reservations about the details.

At a public hearing at Hunter College yesterday, lawmakers raised concerns that they said needed to be addressed before they could support the policy.

Assemblyman Micah Kellner said he would not vote "for a plan that is little more than an outline," while state Senator Liz Krueger said the residents in her East Side district, beleaguered by overcrowded subways, needed a guarantee that revenue from the plan would "actually be dedicated to the MTA's efforts to expand mass transit."

"With this terrible bus service, one can't blame these residents for wanting to drive," Council Member Rosie Mendez added.

Drivers entering the Lincoln and Holland tunnels should not pay a reduced fee, as the plan calls for, Mr. Kellner said. "The burden of congestion pricing should not fall disproportionately on residents inside the zone," he said.

Council members Daniel Garodnick and Jessica Lappin suggested that residents of the congestion pricing zone receive special parking permits. Mr. Garodnick also said there was "an inherent unfairness" in charging residents of the zone a fee to drive out of it.

Several elected officials, including Messrs. Garodnick and Kellner, said disabled drivers should be exempt from congestion pricing, as mass transportation may not be an option for them.