Gov. Kathy Hochul is resuming efforts to implement the MTA’s controversial congestion pricing, now with a lower base toll.
Gothamist was first to report this development.
The congestion pricing plan applies to car and truck traffic entering Manhattan below 60th Street.
Under the revised plan, the base toll for passenger vehicles during peak hours has been reduced to $9 from the original $15. Small and large trucks are charged at higher rates and ride-share vehicles and taxis are per-ride.
Hochul paused implementation of congestion pricing at the last minute in June because of growing public opposition and political pushback.
A Race Against Trump
Hochul is in a rush to push forward the congestion pricing plan before President-elect Donald Trump assumes office on January 20.
Trump pledged earlier this year to “terminate” the plan.
Five New York Congressional Republicans, including Long Island’s Anthony D’Esposito, Andrew Garbarino, and Nick LaLota, wrote to Trump earlier this week, urging him to commit to ending the program, which they described as a “cash grab.”
They also accused Hochul of “cynically ‘pausing’” the program earlier this year “to win back the House.”
Hochul indeed moved to restart the plans after the November 5 elections, which saw the Democrats flip one seat on Long Island and another in the Hudson Valley.
Gothamist reports that Democratic members of Congress asked the governor to put congestion pricing on hold until after the elections.
The New York Times reports that Hochul will put the plan before the MTA board next week to get it approved before Trump comes to office.
Congestion Pricing History
The push for congestion pricing began after the 2017 “Summer of Hell” that saw a breakdown of subway and commuter rail lines, as well as chronic delays and overcrowding due to construction and disrepair.
A congestion pricing proposal, championed by then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo, was passed in 2019 New York state budget.
Advocates say congestion pricing provides much-needed revenue for the MTA to modernize its aging fleet and infrastructure, and reduces pollution by encouraging commuters to use public transit.
The original congestion pricing program was expected to raise $1 billion annually for the MTA. At the outset, the revised program will likely fall short of that figure, but The Gothamist reports that Hochul plans on raising the toll at some point.
New York is the first U.S. city to adopt congestion pricing.
Major cities worldwide, including London, Stockholm, Milan, and Singapore, use congestion pricing.
Congestion pricing is unpopular in Long Island and New York City’s outer boroughs, where many prefer to drive into the city.
A Siena College survey earlier this year found that 63% of New Yorkers opposed congestion pricing.
In a New York Post op-ed, Cuomo reversed his stance on congestion pricing, arguing that now is not the right time for it, citing poor subway safety and historically low office occupancy rates.
Cuomo is reportedly seeking to run for public office again, this time for New York City mayor.