I would like to applaud the New York State Assembly, its members and state Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver (D-Manhattan) for delivering a knockout punch to Mayor Michael Bloomberg's congestion pricing plan. As much as I support the idea of reducing vehicular traffic and alleviating chronic asthma conditions in the city, most people in Queens were very upset by the plan. They saw it as a regressive tax, and I agree.
We in Queens have the worst public transportation in the city and the longest commutes in the nation. The mayor's plan would have hit the people who use the free East River bridges the hardest. We are a borough of middle-class folks.
Until Queens has a reliable, efficient and comfortable way of getting into the city by public transportation, then no congestion pricing measure should be considered. It is simply not an option for most Queens commuters.
David M. Quintana
Ozone Park
