The so-called congestion toll has become quite a “hot potato”, which after five years of being approved by the state Legislature, was scheduled to begin to be implemented this Sunday, June 30, but an indefinite pause to the plan, filed by The Transportation Authority on June 5 left the measure up in the air for now. There will still be no tolls in Manhattan for vehicles entering south of 60th Street.
Despite a barrage of pleas from public transportation advocates and New York political leaders who implored the MTA Board on Wednesday to lift the pause and authorize the implementation of the regulation, beginning to collect fares, the agency confirmed the halt. By a vote of 11 to 1, the MTA Board decided to comply with Governor Kathy Hochul’s order to halt the plan.
And although thousands of car, truck and motorcycle drivers are more than happy to know that they still will not have to pay the between $7.50, $15 and up to $36 dollars that the congestion fee orders, depending on the type of vehicle, when they enter the south on 60th Street in Manhattan, toll advocates lamented the decision.
The members of the board of directors of the organization that defines the guidelines and guidelines for public transportation, as well as tunnel and bridge tolls in the Big Apple, listened to testimonies from opponents and defenders of the congestion tax for several hours, before announcing their decision. .
The day began with a protest outside the headquarters where the meeting was held, on Wall Street, in which organizations such as Riders Alliance and Transportation Alternatives along with subway and bus passengers demanded that the lock be removed from the project. and this June 30, the Congestion Pricing will begin to be implemented, as planned.
During the protest, protesters stressed that the congestion toll goes beyond increasing the revenue that the MTA will receive, estimated at about $15 billion, to implement projects that benefit New Yorkers. At the protest they warned that in addition, bringing the toll law to fruition will contribute to the Environment, by having at least 100,000 fewer vehicles on the roads of Manhattan, which means less air pollution.
They also mentioned that with fewer cars traveling through the heart of New York, there will be fewer visits to the emergency room for childhood asthma or extreme heat, fewer accidents, safer streets for biking and walking, and more space for New Yorkers.
“Congestion Pricing is the law of the land and should come into effect on June 30. “We have been fighting for this policy for decades because we know how important it is to cleaner air, safer streets, accessible stations and faster buses,” said Shawn Garcia, Advocacy Director for Transportation Alternatives. “Communities of color, low-income communities, and other vulnerable populations depend on public transportation every day and deserve an accessible, reliable, high-quality network. “Kathy Hochul can’t change the law through YouTube and we’re not going anywhere until congestion tolls are turned on.”
New York City Comptroller Brad Lander also joined the call for the MTA to lift the brake on congestion pricing implementation, criticizing Governor Hochul’s decision to push for a last-minute sweeping change. about the tolls, asking them to stop. The president has said that rolling out the law at this time would affect many New Yorkers due to the additional costs they would have to pay and the impact that this could have, even on the family basket.
“Congestion pricing revenue is necessary for station accessibility, signal modernization, on-time service, for the Second Avenue subway and for the Inter Borough Express. If it does not go into effect, the cost of MTA borrowing will increase, operating expenses will increase, and, in fact, the reliability, safety and frequency of service will be in jeopardy,” Comptroller Lander said. “When riders, people with disabilities, New Yorkers who rely on public transportation, comptrollers, like the late Dick Ravitch, agree, the path is clear…these steps to implement the law are legally necessary so we can move New York forward.”
The congestion charge seeks to charge most passenger vehicles a daily toll of $15 if they enter Manhattan during the hours of 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekends. , just like $3.75 at other times. It would also make trucks pay a toll of $24 or 36 dollars in the peak period, depending on their size and work, and $6 and 8 at night. Motorcycles must pay $7.50 dollars.
On the other hand, car service passengers will be charged a toll of $1.25 for each trip in taxis and rental vehicles, and $2.50 for large Uber and Lyft transfers, without overnight discounts, while emergency vehicles authorized, those transporting a person with a disability, specialized government vehicles and transit buses would be exempt from the toll.
Rachael Fauss, senior policy advisor at Reinvent Albany, criticized the pause in the congestion tolling law and said that beyond the effect it will have on the MTA’s finances and the environment, it will put about 100,000 jobs in New York at risk. york
“Governor Hochul’s pause of the MTA’s congestion pricing program puts more than 100,000 jobs in New York State at risk. While most of the MTA’s capital plan work is done by private contractors, our previous analyzes found that about $3 billion, or 21% of the $15 billion raised by congestion pricing, would support capital work intern carried out by MTA workers, and Governor Hochul has also put her union positions at risk,” said the analyst.
“The MTA’s economic reach is enormous, and our analysis shows that companies that do business with the MTA are present in every congressional district in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. Additionally, 100% of New York State Senate districts and 98% of New York State Assembly districts have local companies doing business with the MTA,” he added.
Following the decision to put the program on indefinite pause, MTA President Janno Lieber stressed that the stop is temporary, and was optimistic about the future of tolls.
“When that financial resolution comes, God willing, we will be ready to put Humpty Dumpty back,” mentioned the head of the MTA, who has already used more than $600 million, which he had, to install 108 license plate readers in Manhattan.
It is estimated that in total about 140 public speakers spoke before the Board before the vote, most in favor of the congestion tax, but the pleas were of no avail. On the contrary, on the streets, state surveys show that the majority of New Yorkers and drivers from neighboring states who come to Manhattan oppose congestion pricing, so the decision for now once again put a smile on his face.
Data
- 2019 the Legislature approved the Congestion Pricing
- June 30 was the scheduled date for the plan to begin.
- June 5, MTA paused implementation of congestion tolling
- 11 votes to 1 was the decision of the MTA Board
- June 26, the MTA confirmed the pause of the plan and denied its implementation
- 60th street in Manhattan south must pay toll
- $15,000 million is the estimated income that the MTA would receive from the Congestion Fee
- $15 is the general cost of cars entering Manhattan during the hours of 5 am to 9 pm Monday through Friday and from 9 am to 9 pm
- $24 or 36 dollars for trucks depending on their size and work
- $7.50 dollars for motorcycles
- 100,000 jobs in New York will be affected by the pause