Basically, I think the Partnership for NYC has thrown down the gauntlet - $13 Billion a year in lost economic activity. That's huge. And that's not including quality of life impact on residents that are filling back into downtown areas.

Now we can expect the usual chorus of compliants about this adversely affecting businesses or low income drivers who lack access to mass transit.

In some cases the complaints of lack of transit access in the outerboroughs is a real ongoing concern for the poorest in those areas that cannot afford cars and the rest that would rather not drive. But according to the Schaller Study that was completed earlier this year, over 90% of drivers to the Central Business District.

We have to break this endless cycle of debate on congestion pricing and thoughtfully craft some solutions that may include congestion pricing. Or alternatively, we may have to dramatically raise all fees on drivers across the city to pay for the road&bridge repairs, nevermind increasing sources of funding for a mass transit system that can reach out to the outerboroughs.

It does seem that based on Aaron Naparstek's historical look on Streetsblog that even if congestion pricing itself is not achieved, it can be a very large hammer to motivate compromise on increasing mass transit funding and potentially other benefits to the non-car owning majority.