Congested Blogging

Thanks to the links by both Azi at the Observer and Elizabeth Benjamin at the Daily News we got a great deal of additional traffic yesterday on our congestion pricing press conference and related posts. The press event, also covered here, and here, and here, is the first step in our outreach to small businesses and neighborhood civics. In the final analysis, congestion pricing is not a policy that will play well in the boroughs.

As if on cue, the Q-Poll has just come out and the results are eye-popping. By widen margins folks in the outer boroughs all agree that traffic congestion is a major problem but, at the same time, feel that the congestion tax is not the way to go. Q's Mickey Carrol sums it up well: "It's all but unanimous. New Yorkers think traffic-choked streets are a big problem. But Mayor Bloomberg will need every ounce of support from his 74% approval rating to convince New York City voters that congestion pricing is the answer."