Dear Friends & Neighbors,
The hot topic around City Hall is Mayor Bloomberg's congestion pricing plan (CPP). It appears as if most members of the City Council are jumping on the Mayor's bandwagon and be or stay on hsi good side. If not with him, then it's to be goodie-goodie with the Speaker. Either way you look at it, it's all the same thing.
I live in the Bronx so I'm going to focus my attention to where I live for now.
First, yes, it's a great idea for the Mayor to try to remedy (just an informational note: NYC will always have congestion no matter what) congestion in the City of New York. We (at least those who for some reason feel necessary to drive into midtown) know that traffic is the worst part of it all. It's also great for the Mayor to show his commitment to the environment and health concerns of New Yorkers. The latter is where I am heading next.
If the Mayor's CPP is approved by the City Council, passed in the State Legislature and signed into law by Governor Spitzer, where will the thousands of daily drivers park their cars? Harlem, South Bronx, Upper Manhattan? Most likely. Have you looked at the number of cars that are parked by the Woodlawn Cementery in the mornings? While I must admit it has been a few months since I've been up there early in the day, I am sure not much has changed (or has it?).
Here's my common-sense thinking: People who live in Upstate and New Jersey, who drive to NYC, will most likely end up parking in the places already mentioned. This means, again, in common-sense thinking, that more cars will bring about more pollution into these neighborhoods which we all know have major health concerns as it is. This also means that there will be less parking spaces for those of us who live here. I am very concern about this and I hope that those City Councilmembers who have yet to make a decision on which way to go, give it serious consideration. There are many things at stake here but nothing more important then the health of those who live here.
See, I have always had a problem (a huge problem) with our elected officials deciding without asking their constituents. Why not hold a community forum and hear the people out. Look, elected officials, as much as like and trust them, do not always have the right answers. They make mistakes too. I know if it was me, I would like to hear what my constituents (yes, those who elected me to serve their interests) think and then proceed with the best option.
Now, I would like to know this: WHERE DO YOU STAND?
In Solidarity,
Haile Rivera
