"New York Gov. Kathy Hochul is pumping the brakes on congestion pricing.
Hochul on Wednesday said New York will indefinitely delay the June 30 start date of the plan to charge a $15 toll on people who drive into Manhattan south of 60th Street. The nation's first congestion-pricing plan was signed into law in 2019 by then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo and was intended in part to fund public transportation.
The toll plan has faced opposition from unions, business owners and New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy.
Hochul said she delayed the plan from going into effect because she was concerned about the rising cost of living and New York's economic recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic. Office attendance in Manhattan is down compared with before the pandemic and Manhattan still faces a commercial vacancy rate of over 20%, she said.
"Given these financial pressures, I cannot add another burden to working and middle-class New Yorkers or create another obstacle to our continued recovery," Hochul said.
Congestion pricing would help the flow of traffic, improve air quality and help fund $15 billion in mass-transit improvements, leaders of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority have said.
According to MTA data, traffic on bridges and tunnels has returned to prepandemic levels. Meanwhile, estimated weekly average subway ridership this year is 66.5% of 2019 levels.
The push for congestion pricing in Manhattan has been under way for more than 15 years. Former Mayor Michael Bloomberg advocated for the system in 2008 but failed to get it enacted. Cuomo endorsed the idea in 2018 and signed legislation a year later.
New Jersey has challenged the congestion-pricing plan in court and sued the U.S. Transportation Department in 2023 for its role in approving the toll. The Murphy administration said the federal government should conduct a more complete environmental-impact study of the plan.
Murphy thanked Hochul for pausing the start of the congestion pricing.
"Although we have had a difference of opinion with our colleagues in New York on congestion pricing implementation, we have always had a shared vision for growing our regional economy, investing in infrastructure, protecting our environment, and creating good-paying jobs on both sides of the Hudson River," Murphy said.
Some are furious over the delay.
"It's terrible news for transit riders in the entire region," said Lisa Daglian, executive director for the Permanent Citizens Advisory Committee to the MTA.
The Hochul administration estimated that congestion pricing would generate $1 billion a year that would fund public-transit projects. The indefinite pause in congestion pricing will create uncertainty for many projects, said Kate Slevin, executive vice president for the Regional Plan Association, which supports the congestion-pricing plan.
"Delaying congestion pricing will only hurt millions of transit riders relying on improvements and hinder the economic success of our broader region," Slevin said.
Hochul said she is still committed to these investments in public transit. Her administration has set aside funds for the MTA's capital plan and are exploring other funding sources, she said, and will continue working with leaders to "ensure we can achieve the objectives of congestion pricing without putting undue strain on already stressed New Yorkers," she said." [1]
Forcing people to use the subway during pandemics is illogical.
1. U.S. News: Governor Halts Congestion Toll In New York City --- Drivers on June 30 were to start paying extra charge to enter much of Manhattan. De Avila, Joseph. Wall Street Journal, Eastern edition; New York, N.Y.. 06 June 2024: A.3.
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