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New York Gov. Kathy Hochul on Wednesday ordered an indefinite halt to the congestion pricing plan that was set to go into effect in Manhattan on June 30. Under the plan, most drivers entering Manhattan at or below 60th Street would face a $15 toll, with trucks and non-exempt buses paying up to $36.
Less than a year later Hochul praised the federal approval of the state’s congestion pricing plan, he told a video statement“I have come to the difficult decision that implementing the proposed congestion pricing system risks too many unintended consequences for New Yorkers at this time…I have directed the [Metropolitan Transportation Authority] to suspend the program indefinitely.”
Backlash was swift from supporters and opponents of the toll plan, including the New York Trucking Association, which had challenged the policy in court.
Any future congestion pricing effort “must include reform to protect the trucking industry and supply chain to prevent increased economic hardship for all New Yorkers,” the group’s president, Kendra Hems, said in a statement.
“The congestion pricing plan as written is unconstitutional and unfairly targets trucking and logistics companies, which are charged far more than passenger vehicles,” Hems said. “Given the uncertainty surrounding the plan’s future, we are not withdrawing our lawsuit against the MTA at this time.”
Kate Slevin, executive vice president of the Regional Planning Association, said in an emailed statement to Smart Cities Dive: “Delaying congestion pricing will only hurt millions of riders who rely on improvements and hinder the economic success of our greater region.”
The Riders Alliance, a transportation advocacy group, called for supporters of the plan to gather outside the governor’s office on Third Avenue in Manhattan. U.S. Rep. Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., said in a post on X, formerly Twitter, “It is clear that congestion pricing will greatly benefit the vast majority of commuters who rely on the MTA, rather than a small, vocal minority of riders which do not qualify for exemptions or discounts.’
Among those opposing the toll plan are New York City cab drivers, whose passengers will be charged $1.25 per trip to, from or within the toll area. “We need to address congestion in the Central Business District, but another burden on busy taxi drivers was never the right solution,” New York Taxi Workers Alliance Executive Director Bhairavi Desai said in an emailed statement. “We should be taxing the rich, not the poor to pay for the MTA budget shortfalls,” he added.
New Jersey political leaders spoke in support of Hotchul’s decision to local media. The governor of the state, Phil Murphy, thanked Governor Hochul to end congestion pricing in Manhattan’s central business district in a statement to ABC7 Eyewitness News.
The news outlet noted that Hochul’s action today “comes as Democrats face tough House races in suburban New York,” adding that Republicans planned to use congestion pricing against them.
“We call on the Governor to stand firm in her commitment to move congestion pricing forward and not back down on policy,” Slevin of the Regional Planning Association said in a statement.