New York’s congestion pricing plan, scheduled to launch soon, has been delayed indefinitely, sources informed 1010 WINS on Wednesday.
This unexpected development comes just weeks before the planned June 30 start date for the Manhattan congestion toll, which aimed to charge most drivers at least $15 daily for entering the borough below 60th Street.
On Tuesday, reports surfaced that Governor Kathy Hochul was contemplating postponing the plan’s implementation. While she still supports the plan in principle, she is concerned about its economic impact on New York and its potential effects on vulnerable Democrats in swing districts ahead of the 2024 Election, according to sources.
The MTA has continued to push for the tolling program despite numerous lawsuits and opposition from various groups, including cab drivers, truckers, suburban commuters, small business owners, and the state of New Jersey. Some of these legal challenges are still ongoing.
Rep. Josh Gottheimer, a Democrat who has led New Jersey’s opposition to congestion pricing, celebrated the news, stating, “After a five year fight, New York appears to have done right by hardworking Jersey families and backed off their outrageous Congestion Tax.”
Proponents of the plan argue it will increase public transit use, reduce pollution, speed up public buses, and provide essential funding for the subway system.
Transportation Alternatives, a group that supports the plan, criticized the postponement, accusing the governor of siding with powerful special interests and calling the decision a “slap in the face to the millions of New Yorkers who rely on public transportation.”
Their statement continued, “The next time your train is late, your bus is trapped in traffic, your subway station is still missing an elevator, you know who to blame: Governor Kathy Hochul.”
The congestion pricing plan, mandated by a state law passed in 2019, would charge most passenger vehicles $15, with tolls varying based on the time of day and vehicle size, from $1.75 for motorcycles crossing overnight to $36 for sightseeing buses and trucks with trailers during the day.
The future of the plan is now uncertain, as are the consequences of not implementing it. The MTA has indicated that the plan would generate about $1 billion annually, which is crucial for modernizing the century-old subway system.
{Matzav.com}
Saving Democrat lawmakers’ careers, and their party’s control of the city, the state, and the country certainly takes precedence over environmental concerns and clean air for the residents of the NYC.
As for the lost potential revenue, the liberals have many ways to raise taxes.
I wonder if the governor has been reading all those comments about it on Facebook etc. Nobody likes this at all. It’s clearly a business killer because nobody wants to come into the city in their finest having to travel the subway or Jersey Transit, or Metro-North. It’s another lame-brained Democrat Party idea to punish people.
Clearly she’s doing it for political reasons. I hope the idea is not revived after the elections.
Raise the tolls and fares, not enough. Create an MTA payroll tax, not enough. We need another revenue stream.
Wow until after the election