Bloomberg plan for traffic congestion appears dead

Bloomberg plan for traffic congestion appears dead New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg has apparently conceded the death of his plan to reduce traffic congestion and pollution in the city by imposing special daytime tolls on cars and trucks entering downtown and midtown Manhattan to encourage use of mass transportation.
   The proposal was opposed by some members of the trucking industry as well as automobile commuters.
   Monday, New York State Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver said the proposal to charge drivers $8 to enter Manhattan south of 60th Street would not be brought to a vote.
   Bloomberg issued a statement saying the decision was a “sad day” for New York. He is likely to have more to say on the subject when he delivers the keynote address for a Global Environment Leadership Conference in Washington on Tuesday.
   Last night, speaking on a cable television program called Inside City Hall, Deputy Mayor Kevin Sheekey said there was a “leadership vacuum” in the state capitol of Albany and suggested today’s headlines should read “Albany to New York: Drop Dead.” His suggestion echoed a famous New York Daily News headline, 'Ford to City: Drop Dead,' when the Gerald Ford’s administration refused give federal financial assistance to the city in 1975.
   Because of the decision, New York will apparently lose $354 million in federal transportation funds to improve mass transportation in the city.