NYC Congestion Pricing Delayed: Rockland Reacts

The news that congestion pricing in New York City will "indefinitely" be put on hold, prompted a number of reactions from advocates and opponents.

The announcement came Wednesday following reports from the New York Times and POLITICO that Gov. Kathy Hochul had been considering pausing the program, which was scheduled to start on June 30.

In a video released Wednesday afternoon, Hochul confirmed that she had directed the MTA to indefinitely pause the congestion pricing program, saying "circumstances have changed."

"My team worked in the final hours to find a way to implement [the program], but hardworking New Yorkers are getting hammered on costs," she said.

Hochul added that she remains "committed" to investments in public transit, and she and her team are currently exploring other funding sources.

According to media reports, the decision to pause the program may have stemmed from pressure from Democratic candidates, who are expecting to be in tight races and view congestion pricing as a polarizing issue.

In addition, there were several lawsuits in New York and New Jersey aim to scuttle congestion pricing.

One of those was brought by Rockland County, whose officials put out a statement vowing to continue the fight if the tolling program isn't dropped entirely.

New York City is already unaffordable, specially for working families, they said, questioning how much the city's workforce had shrunk since the pandemic.

Rockland’s approximately 4,000 residents who drive into the CBD – many of whom are first responders – are forced to do so because there is no one-seat-ride, despite our more than $40 million annual value gap between what we pay and what we receive from the MTA. That is not their fault; it is the MTA’s. Don’t punish residents for the MTA’s inability to manage its budget.
It is for all those reasons we have fought this ridiculous tax from day one and applaud fellow lawmakers, including those in New Jersey, Long Island, and Staten Island, who are in that fight as well.
Governor Kathy Hochul should not just pause this plan but eliminate it entirely. If not, we will continue our legal fight, alongside my colleagues in government, on behalf of families we serve who do not deserve another unnecessary tax.

"I was proud to be a vocal opponent of congestion pricing and cosponsor the Senate legislation to stop it and audit the failed MTA," said said state Senator Bill Weber (R-Rockland). "Today's decision by the governor to indefinitely delay congestion pricing is a victory, even though she did it for the wrong reasons. Instead of making a political decision to protect vulnerable incumbents from this deeply unpopular policy, she should have canceled it because it was a horrible idea pitched as a way to protect our environment and reduce congestion while all it really would be is just another bailout for the MTA. We have come to expect dishonesty in proposing and canceling policy here in this state. Despite today's victory, New Yorkers deserve better."

"Congestion pricing is flat-out theft of my constituents' hard-earned money, particularly those who have no viable public transit into the city," said state Sen. James Skoufis (D-Orange/Rockland). "I've been at the forefront of the fight to roll back this unjustified scheme — including as a plaintiff in a lawsuit to strike down the plan — and am strongly supporting the end-of-session effort to delay the toll's implementation. I'm grateful the Governor is prioritizing this move."

However, the last minute decision angered environmentalists.

"A day after NYC issued its first air quality alert of the year, and less than a year after apocalyptic orange skies blanketed our city as we endured the hottest year on record, we are shocked and dismayed that the governor is turning her back on congestion pricing," said Julie Tighe, president of the New York League of Conservation Voters. "We cannot drive our way out of the climate crisis - and we shouldn’t let a small number of drivers who refuse to take mass transit in the most transit-rich region of the country dictate transportation policy."

How it would work, who would pay

Under the current plan, most drivers entering Manhattan at 60th Street or below would face a base toll of $15 when congestion pricing commences.

"Toll rates will vary by type of vehicle and time of day," the MTA's new congestion pricing website states. "Passenger vehicles and motorcycles will only be charged once per day.Those tolls will be tallied by toll readers that have already been installed on Manhattan streets enclosing what the MTA calls the Congestion Relief Zone, aside from the FDR Drive and West Side Highway.
The $15 base toll will apply from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekdays, and from 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. on weekends. Nighttime toll rates will be $3.75.

"Trucks and buses will pay a toll of $24 or $36 during the day, depending on their size and function, and $6 or $9 at night," the MTA’s congestion pricing site states. "The toll for motorcycles is proposed to be $7.50 during the day and $1.75 at night."

Only a few types of vehicles would be exempted: emergency vehicles, those that carry people with disabilities, school buses, commuter buses and certain government vehicles.