Congestion pricing criticism echoes through Hudson Valley

Release of the proposed tolls for New York City’s congestion pricing resulted in a few Hudson Valley politicians expressing strong opposition while others remained silent. Congestion pricing will impose new tolls on vehicles traveling into Midtown Manhattan below 60th Street.

A report by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s (MTA) Traffic Mobility Review Board (TMRB) recommended a $15 toll on passenger cars, $24 for box trucks and $36 for larger trucks. Riders in taxis would pay a $1.25 fee while those in ride-share vehicles like Uber would pay $2.50 extra per ride. Low-income drivers would receive a 50% discount on the tolls. Overnight tolls would be reduced by 75%.

The plan is designed to raise $1 billion a year for the MTA to spend in capital projects.

In an effort to blunt the criticism, Gov. Kathy Hochul on Dec. 5 appeared at a Manhattan rally in favor of congestion pricing.

“Cities all around the world have tried this, but nobody else in the United States of America,” Hochul said. “This is when we demonstrate leadership.”

Hochul said that the new tolls, due to go into effect by summer of next year, represent an important investment in the city’s mass transit system.

“People deserve a quality of life here,” Hochul said. “It should be walkable, people should be able to take the train and be able to walk to their jobs and never need a vehicle again because this is New York.”

Hochul’s rally in Manhattan came a just a day after U.S. Rep. Mike Lawler who represents parts of the Hudson Valley appeared with Rep. Josh Gottheimer of New Jersey on 2nd Street in Manhattan in front of the Il Posto Accanto restaurant with owner Julio Pena.

“This is nothing more than a money grab,” Lawler said. “It’s a scam and it’s going to hurt commuters and small business owners like Julio across the board. And, it is going to prevent people from coming in to this city.”

Lawler pointed out that he represents the immediate suburbs of New York City: Rockland County; Westchester County; Putnam County; and Dutchess County.

“All four counties are in the MTA region,” Lawler said. “All four have a seat on the MTA board and yet our voices are consistently silenced by Gov. Hochul, by Mayor Adams and by Janno Lieber (CEO of the MTA). Rockland County, where I live, we are the only county in the MTA that has a value gap. We pay $50 million more in taxes a year than services we receive. We don’t have a one-seat ride. Express rail service has been cut. You’re now telling my taxpayers who cross over the George Washington Bridge or the Tappan Zee Bridge that … in addition to the toll they pay they now have to pay $15 a day to come into New York City. For the average Rockland County resident or Westchester County resident or Putnam County resident that would be an additional $4,000 a year.”

New York State Sen. Bill Weber, whose 38th State Senate District includes all of Rockland County with the exception of the Town of Stony Point, said, “Another day, and another insult to the residents of Rockland County from the MTA.”

Weber noted that more than 60% of Rockland residents who work in New York City have no choice but to commute by car.

“The MTA does not care about Rockland’s needs, just its money. We are being fleeced for living where we live,” Weber said. “All Rockland County residents should be excluded from paying these additional taxes. That is what tolls are, just another new tax on the seemingly endless list of taxes we are forced to pay. We used to be nickel and dimed to death, now it’s $10’s and $20’s.”

Weber has cosponsored Senate Bill 5425, which would repeal congestion pricing and force the MTA to undergo an independent forensic audit.

Rockland County Executive Ed Day didn’t mince words when the proposed amounts of the congestion pricing tolls were revealed. He blasted the TMRB for recommending discounts for drivers using the Lincoln, Holland, Queens-Midtown and Hugh Carey (Brooklyn Battery) tunnels while offering no discount for drivers using the George Washington Bridge.

“Let’s not forget the continuous congestion pricing conversation has only emphasized improving transit options in New York City, with little regard for the tax-paying members of the MTA outside the city,” Day said. “This recommendation is an insult to Rockland residents. I demand the MTA to provide Rockland County residents with a CBD (Central Business District) toll exemption or, in the absence of a CBD toll exemption, a full crossing credit for Rockland residents at the GWB (George Washington Bridge), which would be a small price for MTA to pay for residents who have contributed more than their fair share.”