New York’s congestion pricing plan will not begin as scheduled and appears to be postponed indefinitely, just weeks before it was set to launch.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul was considering a delay to the state’s congestion pricing plan, set to take effect June 30, due to concerns it could harm Democratic candidates in competitive House races this year, multiple outlets reported late Tuesday night.
Hochul and her aides have recently expressed concerns about the plan, which would charge drivers entering parts of Manhattan. Her potential move is seen as a response to worries raised by House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, who is working to regain a Democratic majority in the House. Republican victories in New York congressional races two years ago led to the GOP gaining power, and both Hochul and Jeffries are eager to reverse this.
Top officials and staffers for Jeffries have floated the idea of delaying the pricing plan, which aims to reduce traffic, improve air quality, and raise funds for the public transit system.
This development comes as Hochul seeks a larger role in the Democratic Party, and as several lawsuits are challenging congestion pricing, including one from the State of New Jersey.
The congestion pricing plan, passed into law in 2019, remains unpopular statewide, with 63% of New York voters opposing it and only 25% approving, according to an April Siena College poll. Former President Donald Trump and New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy, a Democrat, are among the plan’s prominent critics.
Under the plan, car drivers would be charged $15 to enter a designated zone of Manhattan south of 60th Street during the day, with trucks paying more. The estimated $1 billion annual revenue would fund a $15 billion capital plan for public transportation infrastructure.
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8 Responses
IOW Congestion pricing will start after the elections
They are experience, the PEOPLE IN NYC are really stupid, the Democrats have no problem pulling the wool over their eyes 👀 before every election
i thought it was about saving the environment?
Lakewoodbt,
Of course but “saving the environment” is code words for electing democrat
Most New Yorkers rarely drive in (downtown or midtown) Manhattan, either because they don’t own cars, or or commute using transit, or live elsewhere. Unlike the early 20th century, Manhattan is not the population center of New York City.
Thus the “congestion” tax is a classic “tax on someone else”. Manhattan’s future as a commercial center is an unrelated matter (but given New York’s anti-business attitudes, and increased telework options, it probably isn’t bright for reasons unrelated to automobile usage).
Yeh, yeh… They’ll “remember” why they thought it was a good idea on November 6…
Not with my vote!
“Thus the “congestion” tax is a classic “tax on someone else”.
Actually, quite the opposite. From an economics perspective, a congestion charge is a classic means of internalizing an externality by making those who impose costs on others (air pollution, noise, vehicular flow delays, etc) modify their behavior to avoid the charge. If properly set, the charge will offset on a dollar for dollar basis, the social costs of vehicular congestion. However, in most cases, political considerations transform the charge into a revenue raising device that is less than economically optimal and becomes more a punitive measure.
This tax will unfairly impact not only NYC residents who might decide to drive outside of the city, but mainly I think it will drive businesses out of the city. Commercial real estate is already suffering a staggering blow with huge loss of businesses in NYC especially after covid. This tax would not only bring losses to business but they would lose employees because many wouldn’t want to pay for the extra fees. Yes it’s not a tax on the residents of NYC exactly but on the many people who travel daily for work or often doctors.
Personally I used to take the train to avoid paying gas tolls parking fees but now I won’t take the train because of safety issues.