I've been sort of following the whole congestion charge issue that's being discussed in New York via Streetsblog. Basically, it boils down to New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg and a lot of community groups arguing for a congestion charge (to alleviate traffic congestion, spur economic activity, raise money for the transit system and help the environment) against politicians and community groups who whined about parking problems outside the congestion zone and the "taxing of the poor" (although if you know anything about New York, you know that the poor are not driving cars in Manhatten).

>Anyways, after the Congestion Charge seemed to be dead in the New York State Assembly in Albany, the Mayor and his opponents came to a kind of deal, which basically allows for New York to install a congestion charge, given that they get lots of "okays" from the State Assembly at various points in the process.

Toronto desperately needs a congestion charge to alleviate congestion, spur economic activity, raise money for public transit and help the environment. It would be so easy to do downtown, within a 10 minute walk of all the downtown subways stations... $2, say, to drive your car into the congestion zone.

That $2 gets put into running and expanding the TTC. What a concept.

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