NEW YORK, N.Y. — The American Trucking Associations (ATA) has helped defeat a proposal that would slap tolls on heavy-duty trucks operating in New York city during the daytime.

The New York State Senate rejected the proposal which would see truckers charged $21 per week day to enter Manhattan between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. The congestion toll was aimed at reducing downtown traffic and would also include an $8 toll for motorists.

ATA president Bill Graves weighed in on the debate with a column in USA Today, saying “congestion pricing, touted as a cure for gridlock, is unfair, ineffective and ignores the transportation needs of Americans.”

“The congestion pricing effort targets trucks with punitive assessments while they are the least able to modify their schedules,” agreed Bill Joyce, Jr., president and CEO of the New York State Motor Truck Association. “No freight can be diverted to the subways and buses. It is counterintuitive to charge more to those who have no choice. If successful, the congestion pricing plan would significantly raise costs to those residents and businesses below 86th St. while providing no measurable relief.”

ATA pointed out: drivers cannot change delivery times set by the shipper and receiver; workers entering the city cannot change shift times; the plan does not increase road capacity; tolling is an inefficient way to fund highways; theres no guarantee that by paying the congestion fee, you wont encounter congestion; and using cameras to record licence plate information is an invasion of privacy.

Here at home, some Toronto city councillors have recently toyed with the idea of tolling GTA roads and banning rush hour deliveries in downtown Toronto.