Building on early indications that Governor Paterson plans to further the legislative agenda of his predecessor and nurture a positive relationship with Mayor Bloomberg, the new governor announced today that he is supporting congestion pricing.

Mr. Paterson said that he would support the traffic reduction bill that the mayor has lobbied for at Albany over the past year.

“Today, Governor Paterson has demonstrated true leadership by submitting a congestion pricing bill to the Legislature that will meet all of the objectives we’ve set,” Mr. Bloomberg said in a statement. “The bill is a giant step forward, and its timely passage will ensure that New York gets $354 million in federal money that we’ve been promised.”

Even with the governor’s support, many lawmakers in Albany have already said the plan, which would charge most drivers $8 to enter the area of Manhattan below 60th Street, has little chance of passing.

After Mr. Patterson visited City Hall for the first time as governor on Wednesday, it appeared that he might sway from Governor Spitzer’s path, and refuse to support the mayor’s traffic plan. Following a meeting with Mr. Bloomberg, the governor said he had not made a decision regarding congestion pricing despite listening to an impassioned plea.

On Wednesday, Mr. Patterson also expressed strong reservations about a tax hike, a concern shared by Messrs. Bloomberg and Spitzer. He said the state could produce a balanced budget without resorting to hikes as long as revenues stopped their slide.

While Mr. Paterson didn’t go as far as his predecessor, Mr. Spitzer, who had ruled out a tax increase during his last days in office, the governor spoke more negatively about the idea than he had previously.

In the past, Mr. Paterson has aligned himself with Mr. Bloomberg regarding education and charter schools, even though he has ties to the United Federation of Teachers.