NYC driving fee wins support

Gov. David A. Paterson plunged into a divisive regional issue Friday, announcing his support for a plan to charge drivers to enter part of Manhattan.

“Congestion pricing addresses two urgent concerns of the residents of New York City and its suburbs: the need to reduce congestion on our streets and roads, and thereby reduce pollution and global warming; and the need to raise significant revenue for mass-transit improvements,” Paterson said in a statement.

Paterson, a Democrat, put his support on the record in Albany with a bill that sticks to recommendations made by the New York City Traffic Mitigation Commission. Under that plan, motorists would pay $8 to drive into Manhattan south of 60th Street between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. on most weekdays. If passed, the state could draw $4.5 billion for mass-transit improvements from the U.S. Department of Transportation.

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, a political independent who introduced the plan last year and has been its main champion, seized on the governor’s support, saying Paterson’s action “demonstrated true leadership.”

“The bill is a giant step forward, and its timely passage will ensure that New York gets $354 million in federal money that we’ve been promised,” Bloomberg said in a state- ment.

An agreement the city reached with the Transportation Department sets an April 7 deadline for approval; a state law passed last year says the City Council and legislators must act by March 31.