Hon. Michael R. Bloomberg
Mayor
City Hall
New York, NY 10007

Dear Mayor Bloomberg:

We applaud your willingness to boldly tackle the traffic congestion problems that have troubled New York City's economy, environment, neighborhoods and quality of life for so long-and which have posed an even great threat to the city's well-being since the September 11th attack.

Your combined program of car pooling, active consideration of congestion pricing, a 30% cut in official parking permits for city agencies, and reduction in the size of city car fleets represents the most serious campaign in decades to end the city's crippling traffic woes. You have our strong support for these efforts and for keeping the Car Pool Rule in place until other, equally effective, congestion reducing programs are put in place.

We write to propose a "motorist's choice" plan that builds on this promising start.

Under this plan-which could be implemented as early as May-drivers would be offered a choice during weekday rush-hour mornings: Motorists could carpool over the free East River bridges and avoid a toll. Or they could use the tolled Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel or Queens Midtown tunnels, driving solo if they wish. That's eminently fair; those who choose to drive alone during rush hours should pay a toll for consuming a limited resource.

At the same time, a new bus-only lane would open, connecting the Gowanus Expressway to the Battery Tunnel to Route 9-A/West Street. This would ensure getting the maximum capacity from the tunnel and connecting roadways. This would be followed by the MTA moving to congestion-reducing peak-period tolls on its bridges and tunnels.

This plan provides a good transition between the current Car Pool Rule and a more comprehensive congestion pricing program on all bridges and tunnels in the city. The plan is good transportation policy and provides the best chance to meet the legal, environmental, and political challenges which must be overcome to make a serious dent in traffic. It also helps create the potential for significant long-term revenue for much needed bridge repairs and transit improvements.

Here are four specific steps we recommend to you:

1. You should commit the city to retaining the morning rush-hour Car Pool Rule requirement on the East River bridges until at least the spring of 2003, especially in light of the ongoing emergency the city faces in its post-September 11th recovery efforts.

2. The city could lift the Car Pool Rule at either or both the Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel and Queens Midtown Tunnel at the time of the full opening of the Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel. Drivers would then have a choice between carpooling or paying a toll. At the same time, a new bus-only/Bus Rapid Transit lane should go into effect in the Battery Tunnel/Gowanus Expressway/Route9-A-West Street corridor during rush hours, similar to the one now in effect for the Lincoln Tunnel.

3. The City should work with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority to implement peak and off-peak tolls on MTA facilities. The first step is beginning an MTA feasibility study this spring. Maintaining the Car Pool Rule on the free crossings would address long-standing concerns at the MTA about losing motorists and revenue to those free crossings-especially if peak-period tolls are introduced.

4. The City Department of Transportation should begin a study this spring on the projected impact and implementation of an E-Z Pass-based, non-stop tolling system on the city's East River Bridges. The system should seeks to shift drivers from the peak, encourage greater E-Z pass use, charge more where transit options are good and less where they are poor, and protect MTA toll revenues now used to support transit.

We would like to meet with you and your transportation advisors to discuss the motorist's choice plan. We look forward to developing creative solutions to the city's transportation problems with you and your administration.

Yours truly,

Environmental Advocates| Environmental Defense | Local 726, Amalgamated Transit Union | Natural Resources Defense Council | New York City Transit Riders Council | NYPIRG Straphangers Campaign | Regional Plan Association | Transportation Alternatives | Tri-State Transportation Campaign