ATA Applauds Defeat of Congestion Pricing in NYC

ARLINGTON, Va., April 8, 2008 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The American Trucking Associations applauds the New York State Legislature's rejection of New York City's proposal to charge drivers a fee to drive into parts of Manhattan during most daylight hours.

Under the plan introduced earlier this year, truck drivers would have paid $21 per weekday and auto drivers would have paid $8 per weekday to drive in Manhattan below 60th Street between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m.

"Like many areas of the United States, New York's transportation networks are strained, and the city is searching for a solution to its problem," said ATA President and CEO Bill Graves. "But congestion pricing schemes are unfair, ineffective and ignore our real transportation needs. While there is a need to heavily invest in infrastructure, congestion pricing does little to relieve congestion and is merely a revenue raiser."

ATA's concerns with the New York City plan included the following:

-- Truck drivers cannot change delivery times, which are set by the shipper and the receiver.

-- Workers entering the city cannot change their shift times.

-- The plan did not increase road capacity for use by all vehicles.

-- Charging an additional fee for trucks that have already paid for the highway with fuel taxes and other federal and state taxes is unfair.

-- Such plans usually increase congestion and parking problems in nearby areas.

-- Congestion pricing fees on trucks ultimately result in an increase in costs to businesses and consumers.

New York City is one of five cities selected last August to receive a share of $1.1 billion in federal funds to help address traffic congestion. The money would have been allocated as part of the U.S. Department of Transportation's Urban Partnership Program. The other cities selected included Seattle, San Francisco, Miami, and Minneapolis.

The American Trucking Associations is the largest national trade association for the trucking industry. Through a federation of other trucking groups, industry-related conferences, and its 50 affiliated state trucking associations, ATA represents more than 37,000 members covering every type of motor carrier in the United States.