Hochul brings back Congestion Pricing tolls

Gov. Kathy Hochul announced today that she was reviving Congestion Pricing tolls for drivers who go below 60th Street in Manhattan.  Hochul, who in June had ordered an indefinite halt to putting the new tolls into effect because they would result in financial hardship for too many people, reversed herself in an announcement made during a noontime news conference. The new tolls will go into effect at midnight on Sunday Jan. 5.

Donald Trump had said during the campaign that he would use the power of the federal government to permanently kill the tolls. IHochul proposed cutting the base toll for passenger cars to $9 from the $15 that had originally been planned. The MTA Board was expected to vote on a new schedule of tolls at tis next meeting representing 40% lower rates than the original amounts.

Congestion Pricing has been proposed as a way to help generate the billions of dollars needed by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) to fund mass transit maintenance and improvements. Hochul also threw her support behind the MTA’s latest capital spending plan.

The original base toll of $15 for passenger cars was to apply to vehicles going below 60th Street in Manhattan. There was a schedule of tolls for trucks, which would pay tolls higher than the $15. Some discounts were to be offered to various categories of vehicles.

On June 5, when Hochul announced that she has directed the MTA to indefinitely delay the start of congestion pricing she said she was concerned about costs faced by New Yorkers and whether the congestion tolls would contribute to people working from home, thereby hurting businesses in New York City.

In reacting to Hochul’s June announcement, the Regional Plan Association said delaying the tolls would delay critical investments in the transit system, including faster service, new trains, station upgrades, bus electrification and the jobs they bring.

At the time, there were reports that Hochul was pressured by House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries to block the start of congestion pricing before the November elections because of concerns that the new tolls would result in a loss of votes for Democratic candidates for Congress.

At the time, Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano backed Hochul’s decision to indefinitely pause the tolls, saying, “We know many of our City of Yonkers residents work in New York City and the extra tolls would not have been sustainable or efficient for them.”

Dutchess County Executive Sue Serino also praised Hochul’s decision.

Rockland County Executive Ed Day said, “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.”

In June, Hochul said that a $15 charge may not seem like much to someone who has the means but it can really hurt many families. She pointed out that when Congestion Pricing was in the formative stages five years ago economic circumstances were different.