Bloomberg congestion plan gets support from Teamsters

Bloomberg congestion plan gets support from Teamsters New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s plan to reduce congestion in Manhattan by charging drivers during peak periods, got an endorsement from a Teamster leader Wednesday after the plan was changed to offer deep discounts on cleaner, more efficient trucks.
   Gary LaBarbera, president, Teamsters Joint Council 16, said his union would support “PlaNYC,” the proposal that includes congestion pricing and many improvements aimed at making the city more livable in the face of growing population.
   Bloomberg said the city would offer a two-thirds discount on congestion pricing fees for trucking fleet owners and individual diesel fuel operators who purchase cleaner burning more efficient vehicles, or retrofit existing vehicles to meet tougher standards, which will reduce the per-truck fee to $7 from $21.