Grim Reaper Addresses Traffic Congestion Commission

Of all the speakers to testify at last night’s Bronx public hearing on congestion pricing, it is doubtful that any of them left a bigger impression than the Grim Reaper.

Well, okay, the mysterious entity donning the all-black garb and wielding the plastic axe was actually Mel Peffers, project manager with the organization Environmental Defense. Testifying before the city’s Congestion Mitigation Commission, Peffers said she was dressed as death itself to symbolize the thousands of lives lost due to diseases caused by vehicle pollution.

“You don’t have to be a health professional,” Peffers said, “to stand behind a tailpipe and know it is not good for your health.”

Peffers offered her support for the mayor’s congestion pricing plan, which would charge vehicles $8 to enter Manhattan below 86th street; she said it would reduce traffic from cars and diesel trucks.