Governor Kathy Hochul revived the congestion pricing plan last week, after effectively killing it earlier this year. Some are thrilled and some aren’t.
Shortly after Hochul’s announcement, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) board voted to approve her updated plan, which initially lowers the toll price to $9 to enter the Manhattan Central Business District (CBD) below 60th Street. It should be in effect starting Jan. 5, 2025.
The toll would increase steadily over the next six years, landing at $12 in 2028 and as high as $15 by 2031. The changes to the plan are designed to provide $15 billion in funding for capital projects such as signal modernization, accessibility improvement, and expansion of the Second Avenue subway line.
“New York’s public transportation system is the lifeblood of our city, and millions of riders rely on it to fulfill their basic obligations and seek opportunity. Affordability for New Yorkers must guide our decisions and be a priority we all share,” said City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams. “As implementation of this revised congestion plan advances, investments in the immediate and long-term health of our transportation infrastructure are critical to the well-being of our city and its communities. For residents of transit deserts in outer-borough neighborhoods and environmental justice communities, this has historically been lacking, which has disproportionate consequences.”
State Senator Cordell Cleare, who supports the congestion pricing plan, said it was the best way to ensure the Second Avenue subway project stays on track.
“Decades of future investment from congestion pricing revenue will give us long-awaited transportation alternatives, and upgrades for our community in Harlem, including Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliance and robust accessibility for all,” said Cleare in a statement. “It can also help the city fulfill environmental requirements, including modernizing the subway system and improving overall air quality. We welcome seeing a real plan to achieve these community initiatives. They represent long overdue requests from my constituents.”
Danny Pearlstein, policy and communications director of the Rider’s Alliance, said their group had filed a lawsuit to push Hochul to restart congestion pricing. They maintained that the governor had overstepped her bounds in the lawsuit and had no right to pause the program indefinitely.
Pearlstein said the lawsuit is still technically ongoing. “We’ve seen a lot of false starts and false promises. We want a guarantee to know for certain that the governor is doing everything in her power right now to make sure the system turns on January 5,” he said.
Despite approval, the new congestion pricing plan has huge opposition. For one, President-elect Donald Trump called the plan a “regressive tax” and vowed to kill it when he is sworn into office.
Other entities, such as the United Federation of Teachers (UFT), still have ongoing lawsuits against congestion pricing.
“Our lawsuit against congestion pricing continues,” said UFT President Michael Mulgrew in a statement. “Today’s announcement changes nothing — pollution and traffic congestion will be worse in the poor, working- and middle-class neighborhoods of the city, and these same families are still being asked to shoulder the cost. No one disputes that New York needs to invest in public transit, but doing it on the backs of the working people of New York City is wrong, and tone deaf.”
Driving commuters in outer boroughs like Staten Island and Queens, as well as Long Island, New Jersey, and surrounding counties, are also against the toll plan resurrection.
State Senator Monica R. Martinez said the congestion plan was an “ill-conceived” “money grab at the expense of middle- and lower-income commuters.” She has vowed to block the pricing plan. “The arguments against congestion pricing remain as valid as ever,” said Martinez. “The economic challenges that led to its delay in June persist today. Nothing has improved for suburban residents — this is simply a reversal made without consideration for the livelihoods of New Yorkers outside Manhattan.”