Federal Judge Cathy Seibel in White Plains has refused to issue the injunction requested by Rockland County and Orange County that would have put a halt to the imposition of Congestion Pricing tolls that are due to become effective Jan. 5. The tolls are to be collected from vehicles entering Manhattan’s Central Business District beginning at 60th Street. The money is to be used to fund improvements to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s systems, including the Metro-North Railroad.
In Manhattan, a different federal judge ruled against issuing a temporary injunction against the tolls in a similar lawsuit brought by the United Federation of Teachers, the Trucking Association of New York and others.
Judge Seibel read her decision from the bench in a courtroom in the federal courthouse in White Plains. She was expected to be asked by the MTA to completely throw out the action to kill Congestion Pricing.
Rockland County Executive Ed Day and Rockland County Attorney Thomas Humbach issued a joint statement expressing disappointment with Seibel’s ruling to deny the request for a preliminary injunction.
“While this ruling represents a setback, it is far from the end of our fight to protect Rockland County residents and commuters from this unjust and discriminatory tolling scheme,” Day and Humbach said. “The MTA’s congestion pricing plan unfairly burdens Rockland County drivers, who already pay their fair share to maintain and use New York’s transportation infrastructure, without receiving equitable access to public transit. It imposes additional costs on hard-working residents who have limited alternatives and disproportionately impacts families, small businesses, and those who rely on vehicles to earn a living.”
Day and Humbach said that they intend to exhaust every legal option available to the county including the possibility of an appeal.
“We remain steadfast in our commitment to ensuring that Rockland County’s voice is heard and that our residents are treated fairly,” Day and Humbach said. “Rockland County deserves better, and we will not back down in our pursuit of fairness and equity for our community. Our fight is not over, and we stand united in opposition to any plan that treats our residents as second-class citizens.”
A lawsuit by the state of New Jersey to try to stop Congestion Pricing was pending.
“We are gratified by the decisions from these courts,” said John J. McCarthy, the MTA’s chief of policy and external relations. “The cases have highlighted how extensively the Central Business District Tolling Program was studied, as well as the enormous benefits it’s expected to provide both to drivers and mass transit users. Congestion pricing will finally tackle the gridlock that is slowing down emergency vehicles, polluting air, and wasting people’s time in traffic. It will also bring sorely needed improvements to transit for the nearly 90% of commuters who rely on buses and trains. It’s time for congestion relief, and we are ready to go.”
