Backlash builds amid lawsuits filed against congestion pricing plan in NYC
NEW YORK CITY (WABC) -- A day after New York Gov. Kathy Hochul announced a new congestion pricing plan, backlash is already building.
The new $9 price tag for drivers in Manhattan south of 60th Street is lower than the original $15, but many around the Tri-state aren't in favor of the plan and are fighting to keep it from happening.
"A $9 toll achieves our goals without putting an extra strain on those who can least afford it," Hochul said.
Hochul says the new plan, which will go into effect on Jan. 5, is much more reasonable for commuters and will ultimately save New Yorkers money -- but not everyone agrees.
There are nine lawsuits currently pending.
The teachers' union released a statement saying its lawsuit will be going forward -- the president of the union called it wrong and tone-deaf and insists the impact would be devastating to communities outside Manhattan.
"It's a scheme to raise $1 billion off the backs of workers-for the MTA and, at the same time, supply better air quality for Midtown Manhattan, UFT President Michael Mulgrew said. "And make worse air quality for the South Bronx and the other three boroughs. That's what it is, it's a scheme."
The State of New Jersey is also suing the city. Gov. Phil Murphy has said the plan puts additional financial strain on those who commute into the city.
Among the other critics is President-elect Donald Trump. The plan to have congestion pricing go into effect in early January is strategic -- it would be much more complicated for Trump to block the plan if it's already in place.
The MTA has said the congestion pricing plan will not only ease up some of the traffic on the roads, but the $15 billion in revenue is needed to enable improvements in subway service and safety.
The revised plan is projected to still deliver the $15 billion necessary for modernizing the MTA. This includes long-awaited improvements like the Second Avenue Subway extension, new electric buses, and environmental enhancements aimed at lowering emissions in areas like the Bronx.
"The basics of human existence are at stake here, are we going to allow New York City people to get ambulances that can get to hospitals, that's what's at stake here, cop cars that get to crimes in progress, the basics, that is what solving the congestion pricing issue means to New York," said MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber. "We want to make New York a better place to live."
One man who has fought against congestion pricing is New Jersey Congressman Josh Gottheimer, who is back on the offensive saying the MTA is trying to deal with its own mismanagement by hurting New Jersey and outer-borough drivers.
"You're talking about whacking hard-working families from New Jersey and New York and the Tri-State area, upwards of about $2,500 a year, that's if you have EZ pass, and $3,500 a year if you don't, you're talking about countless families and small businesses will see thousands of dollars drained from their pocketbooks at a time when they're already struggling," Gottheimer said.
Hochul's office and the MTA have received a new round of requests tis week for exemptions to congestion pricing now that the program has been unpaused.
An official tells Eyewitness News there will be no new exemptions, the 40% reduction in base fare applies across the board.
The new congestion pricing fees under the revised pricing plan that is under discussion include:
- A $2.25 off-peak rate for passenger cars from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. on weekdays, and from 9 p.m. to 9 a.m. on weekends, which is down from $3.75 in the original plan.
- A $3 "crossing credit' for passenger cars entering the congestion zone through four Manhattan tunnels, which is down from the original $5 price.
- Small trucks and charter buses cost $14.40, originally $24, and large trucks and tour buses cost $21.60, originally $36.
- An extra per-ride surcharge is now 75 cents for taxis and black car services, originally $1.25, and $1.50 for Uber and Lyfts, originally $2.50.
The MTA board would have to approve the new rate at a meeting expected on Nov 18.
Additionally, the Port Authority is announcing more fare hikes for New York City commuters. The cost of a single PATH ride is going up to $3 in January, a 25-cent increase. It's the PATH's first fare hike in a decade.
Meanwhile, the cost to cross a Port Authority bridge or tunnel is increasing by 25 cents each year for the next four years -- that's on top of annual increases based on inflation.
It would bring the charge for drivers without an EZ Pass to $22.38.
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