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NY road plans hit a snag
17/07/2007 23:55 - (SA)
New York - Mayor Michael Bloomberg vowed on Tuesday to continue with plans to introduce a congestion charge for drivers entering Manhattan, despite a major setback at state level.
The New York state assembly failed on Monday to meet a deadline to apply for federal funding for the scheme, which Bloomberg unveiled in April this year under an ambitious raft of environmental proposals labelled "PlaNYC".
A number of state senators are opposed to the plan - which would impose a charge of $8 for cars and $21 for trucks to enter lower Manhattan - and had used delaying tactics to avoid meeting the deadline.
Bloomberg said he was disappointed that the state senate had failed to reach agreement despite three months of consultations.
"The failure of the state assembly to act in time on a deadline imposed by the federal government is a terrible setback for clean air and to our critical commitment to fight climate change," Bloomberg said.
But he vowed to continue with plans to introduce the charge, which would be the first such scheme in the United States and is modelled on similar schemes in cities including London and Stockholm.
"We will continue to press for real solutions. We will work to implement the initiatives contained within PlaNYC," Bloomberg said. "I can definitively say the environment and the future quality of life in New York took a beating."
- AFP
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