Mayor Giuliani's imposition of the carpool rule for entrances to Manhattan below 60^th Street has stimulated debate about how to permanently reduce congestion and reclaim more of Manhattan from heavy traffic. Several major newspapers have stated that the need for traffic relief in the face of security at river crossing and the long-standing need to improve mobility within the city should lead from the carpool rule to consideration of East River bridge tolls and congestion pricing.

NY Times columnist John Tierney recently took up this theme as part of a magazine series on NYC's future. Tierney wrote that the Mayor's rush hour ban on single occupant vehicles "showed what New York could become if we take back our streets from the invaders." He advocated an extensive Manhattan road pricing system based on barrier-free E-ZPass technology that would ease congestion and free up space for uses other than driving and parking. "With a few reforms, we could have sidewalks and streets that are safer from terrorists and more inviting for everyone, including drivers."

"Just reducing the number of cars by 10 percent would make a dramatic difference in congestion," consultant and a former top city transportation manager Sam Schwartz told Tierney. Schwarz also spoke of an expansive lower Manhattan pedestrian and traffic calming plan.

Tierney wrote that revenue from new tolls could contribute to relief like a roll-back of the city's sales tax. However, East River tolls are likely to be an easier sell to motorists and Brooklyn and Queens constituencies if the revenues are dedicated to better transportation. Indeed, in the same magazine issue, Alex Marshall calls on city, state and federal governments to underpin the city's economic future with an ambitious set of transit investments, from the Regional Plan Association's concept for an interconnected group of subway, PATH and ferry portals downtown to the Second Avenue subway and better East Coast Amtrak service.

Rush Hour Carpooling as Long-Term Traffic Plan? (Oct. 2001)

Editorial Boards Back Driving Limits (Oct., 2001)

Variable Cordon Pricing for Manhattan? (April, 2001)

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