Will Congestion Pricing Fly in New York?

London has successfully instituted congestion pricing for private vehicles, and New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg has been trying very hard to do the same, but ran into stiff opposition from the public as well as political players.

New York magazine reports, however, that Bloomberg has just gained an important ally: New York’s new governor, David Paterson. According to New York:

Paterson’s former district hasn’t been sympathetic to the mayor’s congestion pricing plan — many fear Harlem will become a commuter parking lot — but with his first rough week, Paterson could use friends. “He needs an ally in the mayor,” says one source close to Bloomberg.

Now to convince the public. The compelling poster above appears on a bus stop about 20 yards north of 96th Street, the cutoff point for the congestion charge.

[CORRECTION: The proposed northern boundary for Manhattan congestion pricing is no longer 96th St.; it is now 60th St.]