Toll Increase For Trucks Proposed

A New York congressman is seeking to double tolls for trucks entering New York City during peak hours to reduce traffic congestion.Rep. Anthony Weiner, a Democrat who represents parts of Queens and Brooklyn, said truck traffic has increased by 30% since 1998. In a four-point plan that included the toll increase, he also proposed a federal tax incentive for nighttime truck deliveries that would match a city incentive proposed last May. He also recommended better enforcement of truck traffic laws and endorsed a plan by Rep. Jerrold Nadler, a Democrat of Manhattan and Brooklyn, to build a rail freight tunnel.“This is an ongoing economic problem,” Mr. Weiner said yesterday. “We want New York City to grow. … But at this rate, we are going to choke on our success.”The congressman’s remarks come amid a growing discussion about how best to handle traffic congestion citywide. A study completed last month by the Partnership for New York City found that traffic congestion costs the city and its suburbs around $13 billion annually. The study recommended looking further into congestion pricing, which Mayor Bloomberg did not rule out.But Mr. Weiner opposes charging drivers who enter the city during busy hours and is focusing instead on truck traffic, whose growth is outpacing other vehicular traffic by a 3-to-1 margin, he said.Transportation advocates expressed concern that since New York City is not connected to the national rail system, trucks move 99% of the city’s goods.“We are looking at a phenomenal amount of truck traffic growth,” a spokeswoman for the Tri-State Transportation Campaign, Teresa Toro, said.A spokeswoman for the city’s Department of Transportation, Kay Sarlin, said it would review the congressman’s proposals. “Truck congestion is a serious problem,” she said via e-mail. The DOT recently opened an office of freight mobility and is working to implement many ideas from its Truck Route Management and Community Impact Reduction study, she said.Several drivers entering Manhattan yesterday through the Lincoln Tunnel said traffic is a serious problem, but those interviewed did not agree that raising tolls is the best solution. One truck driver, Ray Santiago, said higher tolls would hinder his business. “It’s just going to make the city more money,” he said.

Toll Increase For Trucks Proposed

Toll Increase For Trucks Proposed

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