Congestion pricing hits the ditch in New York, providing moreevidence that lawmakers focused on their next election don't havethe stomach to impose user fees to provide necessary, long-terminfrastructure solutions. Most people don't get it yet --congestion and resulting lack of productivity create huge economiccosts in our global pathway cities, the country's primary growthengines and best real estate markets. The longer we take to fundnecessary mass transit and road improvements in these places, thegreater the ultimate costs, not to mention the increased potentialfor tragedies from greater hazards in aging transport networks. Ifleft the choice we will pull out a credit card and go into debt tobuy a flat screen TV rather than pay higher taxes or user fees forbetter systems to move people and goods more efficiently with lesspollution. That greater efficiency ultimately translates into lowercosts in fuel or less child care and greater opportunity to makemore money -- getting to more jobs and appointments. Maybe we wouldend up being able to pay for the flat screen in cash. But who helpsus connect the dots. Not our politicians.

The New York experience also points to the ludicrous lack ofregional infrastructure planning in our country. New JerseyGovernor Corzine helped torpedo the bill to "protect" hisconstituents from paying more to enter the city through PortAuthority tolls. Corzine, meanwhile, has been trying and failing toraise tolls on Jersey roads, which are also overly congested, toraise money for his own infrastructure agenda. Considering theinterconnected issues between New York and New Jersey road andtransit systems you might think everyone might benefit from aregional plan, including congestion pricing. Suburban legislatorspander to their voters, saying Manhattan gets all the benefits.Well, the city lost $350 million in annual federal aid, because ofthe thumbs down. Neither New Jersey nor New York can balance theirbudgets, and systems are literally crumbling. If people from theburbs can't get in and out of New York will that be good for theregional economy? (Oh by the way, did you know that flatscreen TVs consume five times the energy of older models? See howthat impacts your electric bill).

Prediction: Within five years, New York will have congestionpricing out of pure necessity. We'll see it in other U.S. citiestoo. So far London, Stockholm, Oslo, and Milan have imposedcongestion pricing in Europe, joining Singapore in Asia.