Clearing Up Congestion

The mayor is ratcheting up his political push for the implementation of a congestion tax on New Yorkers who have to drive to work in the city. As the NY Sun is reporting, it appears that Governor Spitzer may be prepared to support the plan even though the Q-Poll has shown that most city residents outside of Manhattan oppose the tax in huge numbers.

All of this is being done in spite of the fact that the city keeps inexorably building more auto-dependent mall, and the mayor keeps voicing his support for Wal-Mart-the largest car-dependent retailer in the world. This, my friends, is rank hypocrisy and greatly diminishes the legitimacy of the mayor's quest for sustainability, a word that a few years ago wouldn't have meant much to Mayor Mike if it didn't have something to do with corporate profits.

If the PlaNYC doesn't address neighborhoods and local retailers. along with the reduction in auto-dependent shopping, then it is not a sustainability plan that all of the environmental zealots should be supporting , at least not without some strong caveats. And if the plan to tax truck deliveries is not one that will actually reduce truck traffic, then it should be jettisoned as another example of the tax happy, business unfriendly, city milieu.