De Blasio Urges 2022 Timeline For Start Of Congestion Pricing

NEW YORK, NY — New York City's recovery from the coronavirus hinges on the long-delayed plan for congestion pricing getting up and running by next summer, according to the mayor.

Mayor Bill de Blasio urged the state and Metropolitan Transportation Authority to set a July 2022 goal on the plan to impose tolls to clear up traffic jams in Manhattan, which got the green light from federal officials earlier this year after a delay from former President Donald Trump's administration.

The mayor — who has limited authority over congestion pricing given state control of the MTA — contends the $15 billion in revenue from the toll plan is essential to improving the city's subways, particularly to given flooding in stations from storms just last week.

"We saw images a few days ago of New Yorkers waist deep in water trying to get home to their families," de Blasio said Thursday. "You’re going to see more and more people ready to come back to the subways — but they got to know the subways are going to get better...It’s time for the state to get in gear and get congestion pricing done."

De Blasio also pointed to the unreliability of subways in recent months, including 10,800 cancelled subway trips in the month of June. Improving mass transit will also mean getting more cars off the road, which will help the environment and reduce traffic accidents, he said.

The plan to set tolls on cars entering Manhattan below 61st Street was originally slated to be put in place in January after getting approved in 2019, but the Trump administration held up an environmental review of the proposal.

With the green light from President Joe Biden's administration in March, the remaining steps include convening a Traffic Mobility Review Board and finishing an Environmental Assessment of the plans.

"This board has not met," de Blasio said. "The MTA is supposed to call the meeting."

The MTA has not yet given a timeline on their plans to move forward on congestion pricing. They have contended that, given other tax revenue, the agency isn't in a rush for the funding from the tolls, according to reports.

Congestion pricing is estimated to bring in $15 billion of a $52 billion five-year capital plan for the MTA, according to officials.