NEW YORK — As if the parking, tolls, and idling hasn’t already made Manhattan the most expensive city in North America for truckers to deliver to.

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s Office of Long-term Planning and Sustainability has unveiled a program to deal with the city’s booming population, congestion, and infrastructure capacity reports Associate Press.

Cameras would capture trucks and cars in Manhattan
and send owners a ‘congestion’ bill.

The most controversial aspect of the plan includes a carbon tax or “congestion pricing,” which would charge motorists and truckers for driving into congested Manhattan below 86th Street on weekdays during prime business hours.

Trucks would be charged a hefty $21 a day, while and car drivers would pay $8 between 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Officials suggest it would reduce gridlock and emissions while generating cash for other transit projects.

American Trucking Association spokesman Clayton Boyce told AP that the charge would create problems and expenses for the thousands of shippers and businesses in downtown New York.

“It will be a real problem for operations for trucking companies and shippers, including all the retailers in Manhattan, which is substantial,” said Boyce. “And all the people who get FedEx and UPS deliveries will have problems and will bear extra expense, so we definitely see problems with it.”

Under the plan, a network of cameras that would capture licence plate numbers and either charge a driver’s existing commuter account or generate a bill to be paid, according to AP.

The entire proposal also includes pilot projects for testing new fuel technologies, such as hydrogen and plug-in hybrid vehicles; and introducing biodiesel into the city’s truck fleet.

— from Associate Press